Latest news with #KaydonFinley
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kaydon Finley, a recent Notre Dame commit, writes a thank you his other finalists
It has long been true, that not only does Notre Dame football recruit great athletes, they recruit great young men as well, and it is looking like you can add 2026 wide receiver commit Kaydon Finley to that list. The Texas star verballed to the Irish over the weekend, and on Sunday went to social media to thank his other finalists for their time recruiting him. It's something that you don't often see in this era of college football, at least publicly. Finley singled out coaches from Texas, Arizona State and Texas A&M, thanking each of them for giving him an opportunity to play at their school. He mentioned that his decision was 'both incredibly meaningful and difficult,' as the other three finalists made his choice very tough on him. This kind of attitude will go a long way for Finley, as he is quickly becoming a fan favorite in South Bend.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas A&M Suffers Two Four-Star Wide Receiver Losses, Boobie Feaster and Kaydon Finley, to USC and Notre Dame, Respectively
Texas A&M Suffers Two Four-Star Wide Receiver Losses, Boobie Feaster and Kaydon Finley, to USC and Notre Dame, Respectively originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas A&M football was projected to a land a four-star wide receiver from the class of 2026. The Aggies also had another in-state, four-star wideout on their radar. Advertisement They've been having a productive and successful recruitment cycle, especially recently. However, both slipped through their hands as the recruits announced their commitments to other schools. Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko looks on in the first Lysaker-Imagn Images Texas A&M had all the cards in its favor to Boobie Feaster and what predicted to be the frontrunner for a majority of his recruitment. On July 4, Feaster announced his commitment to USC. The Trojans are leading this class of 2026 recruit and this four-star is another resume booster. Feaster is the No. 40 overall recruit, No. 4 wide receiver, and No. 6 athlete from Texas. Bad news hit the Aggies again as four-star wideout Kaydon Finley announced his commitment to Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are also having luck in recruitment, landing Joey O'Brien, Khary Adams, and Rodney Dunham. Finley is the No. 110 overall recruit, No. 14 wide receiver, and No. 15 athlete from Texas. He's also the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley and it's clear the talent was passed down. Finley recorded 81 receptions for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior at Aledo High School. Advertisement Due to in-state advantage, both the Aggies and Texas Longhorns were hoping to sway Finley to staying close to home. However, Notre Dame was always the school to beat in this battle. USC managed to flip Feaster away from staying at home as Texas A&M was the longtime leader in this race. The Fighting Irish has the No. 3 2026 recruitment class just above Texas A&M on 247Sports whereas USC is leading at No. 1. Related: Texas A&M Football Secures Top Three Spot for Five-Star Edge Rusher Related: 3 Texas A&M Aggies Named To Athlon Preseason All-America Team This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame
Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas Longhorns fans went into Friday hoping to make three monster splashes on the recruiting trail only to be spurned twice. Advertisement Starting with the positive, the Longhorns were able to secure a commitment from the nation's No. 2 interior offensive lineman, John Turntine III. According to 247Sports, Turntine ranks as the No. 53 player in the country and the No. 7 player in the State of Texas, giving Texas six top-100 recruits. As for the not-so-positive, the Longhorns missed out on the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class in Felix Ojo at the last minute, as Texas Tech came swooping in with an offer that will see him earn as much as $5.1 million to be a Red Raider. While that one stings, it may not hurt as badly as missing out on the son of program legend Jermichael Finley, Kaydon Finley. The younger Finley even toyed with Texas fans, before eventually revealing he was committing to Notre Dame. Advertisement As seen during his commitment, the Aledo product picked up the Texas hat from the table and nearly put it on before tossing it to the ground. He then picked up Notre Dame's hat and revealed his pledge to Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. It is certainly a massive addition for Notre Dame, which now has the No. 3 class in the country, according to 247Sports. Finley also marks the second in-state recruit that Notre Dame beat Texas out for, as the Longhorns were also in the mix for four-star running back Javian Osborne for the majority of his recruitment. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Miron-USA TODAY Sports If there was a silver lining for Texas when it comes to missing on Finley, it'd have to be the fact that they brought in an elite group of receivers last cycle. They brought in two five-stars in Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett, while also landing the nation's No. 1 athlete, Michael Terry III. Advertisement Losing Finley may sting because of his father's connection to the program, but Texas has put together top classes seemingly every year under Sarkisian, so it's safe to say they'll live. Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Names College Football Powerhouse He Envisions Himself Playing At This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Notre Dame lands commitment from WR Devin Fitzgerald, son of former NFL star Larry Fitzgerald
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame continued its receiver rebuild with another NFL legacy, continuing a trend that's gained momentum under Marcus Freeman. On Saturday afternoon, three-star Devin Fitzgerald committed to the Irish, flanked by his father and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, whose 17-year NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals totaled 1,432 catches, 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns. The news came one day after four-star wideout Kaydon Finley committed to Notre Dame over Texas, where his father Jermichael Finley starred before a six-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. Advertisement Fitzgerald is the 24th commitment in Notre Dame's class and the fourth receiver, following Finley, Bubba Frazier and Dylan Faison. Frazier committed in April. Faison was the first verbal in the class, committing in March of 2024 to follow his brother Jordan Faison on to both the Notre Dame football and lacrosse rosters. The Irish are expected to land a fifth receiver — making it three in three days — when four-star Brayden Robinson announces his college decision Sunday. Fitzgerald chose Notre Dame over finalists Clemson, Stanford and UCLA, although the Irish held a commanding lead in this recruitment since his official visit in mid-June. During that weekend, Fitzgerald spent time with Finley and Thomas Davis Jr., whose father Thomas Davis played at Georgia before a 16-year NFL career. The three prospects all posed in Notre Dame gear with their fathers backing them up. The NFL legacy to Notre Dame pipeline isn't new, but it's been pronounced under Freeman. Last year's roster included seven sons of former NFL players: defensive end RJ Oben (Roman Oben), defensive back Jordan Clark (Ryan Clark), safety Kennedy Urlacher (Brian Urlacher), defensive end Bryce Young (Bryant Young), offensive lineman Rocco Spindler (Marc Spindler), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (Darryl Morrison) and Howard Cross III (Howard Cross II). From that group, only Young was a Notre Dame legacy. Notre Dame's freshman class includes receiver Elijah Burress (Plaxico Burress) and Jerome Bettis Jr. (Jerome Bettis). Burress starred at Michigan State before a long NFL career that included an overlap with the Hall of Famer Bettis in Pittsburgh. In addition to Bettis, the Irish also signed a second Notre Dame legacy last year in tight end James Flanigan, whose father Jim played defensive line on the same Lou Holtz teams in South Bend before a 10-year NFL career. Advertisement The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Fitzgerald is a three-star at On3, 247 Sports and ESPN, with Rivals rating him as a low four-star prospect. However, his rating may improve in the coming months following a strong performance at the OT7 tournament. As a junior at Brophy Prep in Phoenix — that's the same high school that produced Morrison and freshman defensive back Cree Thomas — Fitzgerald posted 52 catches for 720 yards and nine touchdowns. That was enough to attract Notre Dame's interest earlier, although the Irish were deliberate in offering after scouting him this offseason. As much as Notre Dame needed numbers at receiver after some fallow cycles at the position, receivers coach Mike Brown and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock didn't want to rush the process. Fitzgerald gives the Irish more size at the position than the other three commitments or the potential of adding Robinson. Fitzgerald is the only one of Notre Dame's expected five-man haul who's listed at taller than 6 feet. That's a plus. The fact he's the son of one of the greatest receivers in NFL history is a bonus. A couple of nice snags from 2026 Notre Dame WR target Devin Fitzgerald at the OT7 finals. Fitzgerald also was 7on7 MVP. Video: OT7 — Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) June 27, 2025 If Notre Dame lands Robinson on Sunday, its next potential commitments could be three-star safety Nick Reddish and four-star defensive lineman Elijah Golden. Reddish is scheduled to choose among Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin on July 11. Golden, who is expected to announce his decision on July 26, is likely focused on Notre Dame and Alabama, with Oklahoma and Virginia Tech also under consideration. If the Irish sweep those three targets, it would give Notre Dame 27 verbal commitments, its largest class since Charlie Weis' first full recruiting haul 20 years ago. (Top photo of Devin Fitzgerald (1) in Sept. 2024: Patrick Breen / The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame's newest commit, Kaydon Finley, sees his commitment video go viral
Notre Dame football didn't just celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, they did it with the commitment of 2026 Texas wide receiver Kaydon Finley as well. The son of former NFL tight end Jermichael, joined the 2026 Fighting Irish recruiting class, and his announcement video has gone viral. It was shared by ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday morning, and at the time of this post, it has over 845,000 views. Part of this certainly has to do with his father status as a former NFL star, but it also has to do with Notre Dame being in the national spotlight after its run to the College Football Playoff championship game. Finley is one of the highest ranked commitments for the Irish in this cycle, as he ranks as the No. 110 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite. Finley looks like he won't be the only prospect that Notre Dame adds to its class over the weekend, as receivers Devin Fitzgerald (tonight) and Brayden Robinson (Sunday) are also set to announce.
