Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER JAMES S ummers for Notre Dame wide re- ceiver commit Devin Fitzgerald typi- cally include a trip to his family's lake house in Eden Prairie, Minn. Fitzgerald, who is heading into his se- nior year at Phoenix Brophy Prep, gets to invite some friends to join him for the trip every summer. This year he added a pair of future teammates to the invite list: wide receiver Kaydon Finley and quarterback Noah Grubbs, who both committed to Notre Dame football's 2026 recruiting class. "I thought it would be good, because all I do is train up there and go on the jet skis after," Fitzgerald told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I thought it would be good to bring them out. I'm already tight with Kaydon, so why not bring our quarter- back too?" Not long before the trip to Minnesota, Finley and Fitzgerald announced their v e r b a l c o m m i t - ments to the Irish. Grubbs originally committed to Notre Dame in June 2024, but he never had a chance to throw to either receiver until those few days dur- ing their July getaway. Both Finley and Fitzgerald had a pretty good grasp of what to expect from the 6-foot-4 Grubbs on the foot- ball field. What they didn't realize is he would be superior in just about every competition they had away from the field. "He's super good at golf and ping- pong and pool," Fitzgerald said. "All those weird sports, he's great at them. No one could beat him. He had to sit out." Finley alleged that Grubbs, who nor- mally swings a club from the left side, was still hitting the ball 250-300 yards from the right side on a golf simulator. "I was pretty shocked," Finley said. "He's an all-around athlete. I like that." Grubbs laughed at the praise the wide receivers were throwing his way. "It was awesome to just hang and compete playing some of my hobbies," Grubbs said via text. "I play golf every day, so I don't think they were expect- ing that." More importantly, Grubbs impressed his future teammates when throwing to them at workout sessions. "I like him a lot," Finley said. "I think he's a great quarterback. He can do a lot of stuff. He can throw a lot of the routes. I have a lot of faith in him being my quarterback for the next three to four years." The 6-foot Finley is the star of that trio, according to Rivals. He's rated as a four-star recruit, and the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 108 overall player in the 2026 class. Rivals rates both Grubbs (No. 26 quarterback) and Fitzgerald (No. 83 wide receiver) as three-star recruits. Though the trio was focused on im- provement while training this summer, star ratings weren't on their minds. It's about getting better for their high school teams this fall and getting a head start on preparing to be together at Notre Dame. "Both Kaydon Finley and Devin Fitzgerald are elite talents, and both possess the ability to change a play with any given catch or ex- plosive run," Grubbs said. "I'm just glad I'll be playing with these two during my career at Notre Dame." WIDE RECEIVERS WITH CONNECTIONS Fitzgerald and Finley kept cross- ing paths on the recruiting trail. As they both made unofficial trips to schools they were interested in, they wound up being on various visits to Arizona State, UCLA and Notre Dame at the same time. The two didn't plan it that way, but it resulted in them growing closer with each visit. When the two at- tended Notre Dame's junior day in January, they didn't know they'd be committed to the Irish six months later. "He's chill," Finley said of the 6-foot-2 Fitzgerald. "He's cool. He's competitive. He can be funny sometimes. He's an overall great guy. He has great character. He loves to work." Fitzgerald didn't hesitate to include Finley on the trip to Minnesota. "It was awesome," Fitzgerald said. "That's my guy. It was just like hanging out with one of your friends. Then you go train with them and push each other out there on the field." The two high school receivers share similar backgrounds as the sons of for- mer NFL players. Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald, played 17 seasons as a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, and will likely become a Pro Football Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible next year. Finley's father, Jermichael Finley, played six seasons as a tight end for the Green Bay Packers. There's a certain privilege and pressure that comes with attempting to follow in the footsteps of father who was a profes- sional athlete. "There's definitely a lot of similari- ties in how we grew up," Devin Fitzgerald said. "Both our dads were in the NFL. We're both trying to make our own name. But we're just kids like everybody else." They're also kids who are blessed to F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Trio of Notre Dame football commits build bonds at lake retreat This summer, wide receiver commit Devin Fitzgerald invited quarterback Noah Grubbs and wideout Kaydon Finley — his future Irish classmates — to his family's lake house in Eden Prairie, Minn., for training, bonding and recreation. PHOTO COURTESY ON3