Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 AUGUST 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER On his 17th birthday, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor class of 2025 safety JaDon Blair made a major announce- ment. He's taking his talents to Notre Dame to play football for the Fighting Irish. Blair's recruiting journey was long. He narrowed his options to Florida State, Michigan, Louisville, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. He announced his commitment to the Irish July 5. Blair has been a top target for the Notre Dame staff since offering him in April 2023, and their efforts paid off with the four-star prospect giving them a major commitment. "From the beginning of the recruit- ing process when they offered me, I've heard from them consistently," Blair told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "It's been every day, whether it's from Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Mike] Mickens, Coach [Al] Golden or Chad Bowden. "They've showed how much of a priority I am to them, even when they had other safety commits. Even though they got commitments from [defensive backs] Mark Zackery and Dallas Golden, they still wanted me. They view me as a missing piece to their program." The Blair family was on a call with Bowden, Notre Dame's director of player personnel, to ask some final questions, and at the end of the call JaDon gave him the good news. Then, they talked with the rest of the staff, including Mickens and Freeman. "They were extremely fired up," Blair said. "My guy Chad was screaming and yelling. Coach Mickens was more than excited, and Coach Freeman was telling his whole family. "He was yelling around his house about it. His family had been asking him every day about me. You can't beat that in my opinion. It shows how much love they have at Notre Dame." Notre Dame was the team to beat for the 6-4½, 195-pounder at the start of 2024, but safeties coach Chris O'Leary left the Fighting Irish to take a job with the Los Angeles Chargers. That knocked Notre Dame down a couple of pegs in Blair's pecking order. "When Coach O'Leary left, that's when I really opened my options back up. I wasn't sure about Notre Dame because I didn't know Coach Mickens and his coaching style," Blair explained. "That's when I started leaning more toward Michigan and Penn State. But Coach Mickens did a great job of talking to me." Blair picked the Irish for all the on- field reasons, but he also seems equally excited about the off-the-field oppor- tunities. "My brand will boom at Notre Dame," he said. "The type of fans I've encoun- tered at Notre Dame are great. They always show love and are supportive people. They were the sixth man in my recruiting. They made it known how much they'd love for me to be there. "The education, the life after football part, sealed the deal. There's not a de- gree that holds more weight than Notre Dame. For example, Jerome Bettis came back to get his degree. Why? Because it's Notre Dame. That speaks for itself." Blair will get his Notre Dame career started early. He'll play his senior sea- son this fall at Mount Tabor, sign in De- cember and enroll at the university in January 2025. Blair had a strong 2023 season as a junior, posting 56 tackles (3 for loss), 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. He played some wide receiver, too, and hauled in 10 passes for 255 yards with 6 touchdowns. He was named the 2023 Central Pied- mont 4A Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Winston-Salem Journal's All-Area team. Blair was a third-team selection to the 2023 High School OT North Carolina All-State squad. Blair is the No. 3 prospect in North Carolina, and the No. 3 safety and No. 51 overall player nationally per On3. His father, Ja'Warren Blair, played college football at East Carolina and professionally with the Cincinnati Ben- gals and Cleveland Browns in the NFL, and with the Amsterdam Admirals and the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JADON BLAIR Blair, the No. 3 safety and No. 51 overall player in America according to On3, committed to the Fighting Irish over Florida State, Michigan, Penn State and others. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Fighting Irish Receive Pledge From Elite Safety FILM ANALYSIS "JaDon Blair is a good-sized free safety who has the hitting ability and overall athletic ability the col- lege scouts love to see. Known for his bone-jarring hits, he can play either safety position at the next level. Blair is the prototypical safety and has the build, length, speed and agility to play in man and zone coverages. "He is very strong at attacking plays in front of him in coverage and in run support, and once he gets there, he knows what to do. He's played quarterback and wide receiver on offense." — Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming