Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 NOV. 23, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER The Notre Dame coaching staff got the message it wanted on the evening of Nov. 11 from Matthews (N.C.) Wedding- ton class of 2026 linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. The 6-2, 210-pound prospect called to commit to the Fighting Irish. He spoke with head coach Marcus Free- man, defensive coordinator Al Golden, linebackers coach Max Bullough, gen- eral manager Chad Bowden and assistant general manager Carter Auman to inform them of his decision to commit. Davis an- nounced his decision publicly Nov. 12. "They were pumped up," Davis told Blue & Gold Illustrated. Notre Dame offered Davis a scholarship in March for its Pot of Gold Day event, which falls annually on St. Patrick's Day. The staff offers several dozen high school sophomore recruits on that day. Davis visited South Bend a couple weeks after receiving the offer, and at that point, the Fighting Irish became the team to beat in his recruitment, but it was still early in his process. He re- turned to campus at the end of July for the staff's annual "Grill and Chill" event for rising juniors, and Davis started to think about making Notre Dame his home for his collegiate future. Trip No. 3 took place Nov. 9 when Da- vis — who is listed as a four-star recruit, and the No. 14 linebacker and No. 178 overall player in America per the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking — saw Notre Dame destroy Florida State, 52-3. During that visit, he knew he wanted to pick the Irish. "Sitting down and talking one-on- one with Coach Freeman," Davis said when asked about the moment he real- ized he'd be committing. "It just felt right — it felt like home. I've been want- ing to commit for a while, but now I'm finally 100 percent." Davis was very impressed with what he witnessed on his November visit. "It's just a family feeling," he said. "Being in the locker room and around the guys up there, you can tell the chemistry is great. There's no individu- alism; it's a real team. They have good things going on up there." Davis got his recruiting process started very early, receiving his first offer back in the spring of 2022, before he played a snap of football at the high school level. He had been going through the process longer than most in his class and was ready to make an early commit- ment. "I want to be a leader in this class and help it to be the best class in the country," he said. Two of Davis' cousins — defen- sive linemen Aiden and Andrew Harris — are also four-star pros- pects in the 2026 class. They've all taken some college recruiting visits together, and it's possible that Davis could continue to hit some game-day trips elsewhere before he signs with Notre Dame. But he's adamant that Irish fans have nothing to worry about. "Regardless of where I go [on visits] with my cousins or any- thing like that, I'm locked in with Notre Dame," he said. "There won't be another school." During his sophomore season in which he played a key part in Wed- dington winning the 2023 Class 4A North Carolina state championship, Davis had 92 total stops, 13.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 7 quarterback hurries, 1 interception, 8 passes broken up and 1 forced fumble. "I'm a hard worker and respectful young man," he said. Notre Dame sees Davis as a versatile linebacker who can play all over its de- fensive front. "It seems like when the moment gets bigger, Thomas plays better," Wedding- ton head coach Andy Capone said. "He seems to be in the right place at the right time. … He puts himself in those situa- tions because of his instincts. He's never shied away from making a big play." Davis is the son of former NFL line- backer Thomas Davis Sr. The elder Da- vis played 16 years in the NFL, mostly with the Carolina Panthers. He had a terrific pro career coming out of Georgia as a first-round draft choice, reaching the Pro Bowl three times and earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2015. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE THOMAS DAVIS JR. Davis — who is rated as a four-star talent, and the No. 14 linebacker and No. 178 overall player nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking — committed to Notre Dame over Clemson, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern Cal and others. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Fighting Irish Add Pledge From Four-Star 2026 Linebacker And NFL Legacy FILM ANALYSIS "Thomas Davis Jr. is an instinctive, heady linebacker. He's a guy who plays on one of the top high school defenses in North Carolina at Weddington. He was injured a good bit during the offseason so we didn't get to see him camp, but I think he's a guy who sees plays quickly, triggers downhill and has shown good physicality this year. He is going to come into college with a level of understanding that will be advanced relative to his peers. One of the biggest things with Davis will be continuing to improve his athleticism — working on his speed will certainly help him. "This is a solid pickup for Notre Dame. He fits their profile, given that Notre Dame has a ton of NFL legacies on their team. He fits the type of player they go after, and he's from Charlotte, an area they recruit well. Davis has been a really good player on a top high school defense for two seasons." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power