Elite Wide Receiver Kaydon Finley Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame has landed one of its most important commitments in the 2026 cycle with Texas wide receiver Kaydon Finley pledging to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out Texas and Texas A&M among many others to land this Aledo (Texas) High School standout.
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Finley has been a priority target for Notre Dame throughout the 2026 recruiting cycle. Landing a top receiver in the 2026 class was incredibly important for Notre Dame, who identified Finley as a must-get player very early on. Landing him has been a battle against Texas, but in the end receivers coach Mike Brown and the Irish staff got the job done.
Listed at 6-1 and 200 pounds, Finley has the size to play either outside or the slot. He's a strong athlete that can make plays after the catch and he has enough speed to make plays down the field. Finley is an advanced route runner with an excellent feel for the game and his ball skills are top notch. He could thrive in the slot in a role similar to Jaden Greathouse, but I like how his route running, ball skills and athletic talent project outside even more. He plays all over the field for Aledo, dominating from the inside and outside. That versatility gives Finley a chance to push for playing time at all three receiver positions in the Irish offense.
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As a junior, Finley was dominant for an Aledo squad that went 12-2 and advanced to the state semifinals. Finley finished his junior season with 81 catches for 1,432 yards (17.7 yards per catch) and 21 touchdowns. He was outstanding in the postseason, racking up 25 catches for 429 yards (17.2 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Finley finished his junior season with nine games of 100 receiving yards or more and he had seven games with multiple touchdown receptions.
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Finley is ranked as a Top 100 recruit on the Irish Breakdown board and he earned a 4.5-star upside grade (Top 75 caliber recruit). He is ranked as the nation's No. 93 overall player by Rivals.
The Aledo standout earned offers from the Irish, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, Louisville, TCU, UCLA, Arkansas, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Colorado, Stanford and California.
Finley is the 23rd player to commit to Notre Dame. He joins Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Texas running backs Javian Osborne, Georgia running back Jonaz Walton, Faison and Frazier at wide receiver, Kansas tight end Ian Premer, Ohio tight end Preston Fryzel, Pennsylvania offensive linemen Tyler Merrill and Grayson McKeogh, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin, Connecticut offensive lineman Charlie Thom, North Carolina ends Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham, Texas defensive tackle Tiki Hola, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., Ohio linebacker Jakobe Clapper, Pennsylvania defensive back Joey O'Brien Florida cornerback Ayden Pouncey, Maryland cornerback Khary Adams and Tennessee cornerback Chaston Smith.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
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