Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 63 BY MIKE SINGER Red Oak (Texas) High class of 2026 wide receiver Brayden Robinson an- nounced his commitment to Notre Dame July 6 via the Rivals YouTube channel, capping off a huge recruiting weekend for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. Talented pass catchers Kaydon Finley and Devin Fitzgerald picked Notre Dame on July 4 and July 5, respectively. And with Robinson choosing the Irish over Arizona and Miami, Notre Dame had a clean sweep with its receiver targets that weekend. "I felt most comfortable there — with the commits and players on the team," Robinson told Blue & Gold Illustrated prior to announcing his decision. "I can see myself around those guys; we're all like-minded people. That was big for me, and the coaching staff is second to none. "The education there is huge. They preached that the Notre Dame degree can help you do anything in life. That's definitely big for me. You get to meet the right people and get to where I want to be after I'm done playing football." Robinson has been a longtime Notre Dame target who received an offer from the Irish during the staff's Pot of Gold Day 16 months ago. He visited campus for the first time in January for a junior day, returned for the Blue-Gold Game in April and was back in town for his official visit the weekend of June 13-15. His official visit couldn't have gone much better. After talking things over with his family, he called the Irish staff — a few days after the visit wrapped up — to commit. His original plan was to announce his commitment on July 20, but he moved his date up a couple weeks. "How peaceful it is — I feel like it's a good place for me to lock in, hone in on my skills and get a great education," he said about what he likes most about Notre Dame. "Before my last visit, I didn't know too much about the area, but getting to see it, I got more comfortable." Robinson was Notre Dame's fifth re- ceiver verbal of the class, with Dylan Faison and Bubba Frazier — two speedy prospects from the South — also on the commit list along with Finley and Fitzger- ald. Robinson is listed as the nation's No. 54 wide receiver and No. 335 overall player in the Rivals Industry Ranking. Irish wide receivers coach Mike Brown led the charge in the recruit- ment, and Robinson made sure to shout out an important member of the Notre Dame personnel office. "I got to know Coach Brown not only as a coach but as a man and father," Robinson said. "He's a great guy to be around. I trust him to get me to the next level as a receiver and young man. And I can't forget that Carter [Auman] was the first guy to call me my sophomore year. That was definitely big, too." Nearly a year went by between the time the 5-8, 160-pounder earned his Fighting Irish offer and stepped foot on campus for the first time. Notre Dame wasn't at the top of his mind initially, but he paid close attention to the Irish's 2024-25 season, and as he learned more about the program and started visiting, Freeman's program jumped up his list. "It definitely developed over time," Robinson explained regarding his inter- est in the program. "I didn't know much about Notre Dame when they offered. It took me a while to learn more about their program and how they need me. It opened my eyes." Robinson — son of Red Oak head coach Melvin Robinson — has been very productive at the high school level, playing for the varsity team since his freshman season. As a junior in 2024, he caught 79 passes for 1,119 yards with 15 touchdowns. During his three-season prep career, he's hauled in 155 passes for 2,328 yards with 34 total scores. He was a member of the 2024, 2023 and 2022 All 5A-1 Re- gion II District 7 first-team. His personal best in the 100-meter race is a blazing 10.44 seconds, and he place 6th in the event at the 5A state meet as a freshman with a 10.47 clock- ing. He also reports an impressive 4.35-second 40-yard dash time. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE BRAYDEN ROBINSON Speedy Wide Receiver Picks Notre Dame Over Miami FILM ANALYSIS "Brayden Robinson is a shifty, smaller slot receiver and can really run. He came on the scene as a freshman, putting up impressive track times. He has a good bit of juice with the ball in his hands and was a high-volume target for his high school team as a junior. He was targeted very often and put up really good numbers. The uptick in production from sophomore to junior season is encouraging. "From a height/weight perspective, we have him a little over 5-8 and 160 pounds. He's on the smaller side, but looking at his junior stats, he had 79 catches for over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns in 12 games. He was really productive. "Robinson gives Notre Dame speed out of the slot and can make an impact in the return game. You can even hand the ball off to him. Notre Dame adding Robinson and Bubba Fra- zier in the same class gives them speed and playmaking ability out of the slot, which will allow them to go in more spread formations when they want to." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Robinson, who has recorded a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and a 10.44 100-meter time, has parlayed his speed into 155 receptions, 2,328 receiving yards and 34 total touchdowns in his first three prep seasons. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER