Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 55 BY MIKE SINGER Aledo (Texas) High's Kaydon Finley officially announced his commitment to Notre Dame July 4, giving the Fighting Irish a marquee wide receiver pledge in the 2026 class. Marcus Freeman and Co. offered the four-star prospect in March 2024 and have had him as a priority target since. The Irish beat out Texas — his father's college team — as well as Arizona State, Texas A&M and UCLA, which were his other finalists. He first saw Notre Dame in the eighth grade when his aunt graduated from the university. It was before his recruiting process got underway and well before he started talking to the Irish staff, but the environment of the school set the bar high. "That's when I fell in love with Notre Dame," Finley told Blue & Gold Illus- trated before making his decision public. Finley was one of 21 official visitors on campus for the June 13-15 weekend, and all the recruits who were in town have raved about the visit experience, with a key highlight being the time they spent with each other. This was very important to Finley as well. "When I really knew Notre Dame was where I wanted to be was on my official visit," he added. "That set it in stone, for sure." But still, Finley, who is the No. 14 wide receiver and No. 108 overall player in America in Rivals' 2026 rankings, took an official visit to Texas the following weekend. Irish fans were concerned that the Longhorns getting the last visit would lead to momentum swinging back to Texas, but that's not what happened. "Notre Dame is just different," Finley explained. "They recruit a certain type of kid. You have to be a special foot- ball player and person. When I went on my official visit, all the recruits clicked. And how the coaches and players got along with all of us set Notre Dame apart from Texas and the other schools. I had a great time at Texas, but it didn't feel as good as Notre Dame." The feeling on Finley's recruitment for the previous few months had been that he was leaning strongly toward the Irish, but the in-state pull is real, and his father, Jermichael Finley, who starred for the Longhorns from 2005-07 before declaring for the NFL Draft, wanted his son to strongly consider Texas. "At the beginning of the process, he was definitely leaning toward me going to Texas," Finley explained. "But as the pro- cess went on and my dad got up to Notre Dame, he fell in love with the place as well. "After my Notre Dame trip, he told me that this is my journey and to make the best decision for me. He said, 'I don't care if it's Notre Dame or Texas, but I really love Notre Dame and want you to know that.' It was important for him to tell me that, and I'm glad it all worked out." Finley's decision has been made. He's locked in with the Irish and won't be con- sidering other schools moving forward. He'll graduate from Aledo High in Decem- ber and enroll at Notre Dame in January. "I'm so excited and relieved," Finley said. "I'm pumped about this class. I'm going to be recruiting for Notre Dame, and I'm going to work my butt off to get the best recruits in the country. I'm excited to get this rolling with my guys. "Our receiver class is special this year. I'm close friends with the other receiver recruits, too. I know we're going to push each other and play for one another. I'm excited to go to war with my boys." During his junior season in 2024, Fin- ley hauled in 81 passes for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns. He helped Aledo reach the quarterfinal of the Texas 5A D1 with a 12-2 record and was named to the 2024 MaxPreps Junior All-America second-team offense. Finley was listed on the Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A all-state first team offense and Texas High School Coaches Association 5A Football Super Elite Team. As a sophomore the year prior, he posted 25 receptions for 417 yards and 6 scores. His squad had a perfect season and captured the 5A D1 state championship. Finley hauled in 3 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in the title game. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE KAYDON FINLEY Fighting Irish Top Texas for Lone Star State Wide Receiver FILM ANALYSIS "Kaydon Finley has a very high floor as a pros- pect, and that bodes well for an early contribu- tion. Among 2026 receiver prospects, he'd be in the top five I'd peg as early impact types based on how polished and skilled he is. Obviously, he's the son of Jermichael Finley, an NFL tight end. He has the bloodlines. His film is really good. When you watch him play, it's hard not to be impressed. He doesn't have overwhelming physical tools, but receiver is a true skill posi- tion, and he has a very high level of skill. "A best-case type of scenario comparison for Finley is [Seahawks wideout] Jaxon Smith- Njigba — a super prolific receiver from the state of Texas who could work in the slot or outside. That would be my high-end compari- son, and from a skill set perspective, that's the type of receiver I believe Notre Dame is getting in Finley. "This is a really good get. To nab a Longhorns legacy out of Texas with his potential to play Year 1 is a big deal for Notre Dame." — Rivals director of scouting and recruiting Charles Power "When I went on my official visit, all the recruits clicked. And how the coaches and players got along with all of us set Notre Dame apart from Texas and the other schools. I had a great time at Texas, but it didn't feel as good as Notre Dame." FINLEY Last season, Finley pulled down 81 passes for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns, earned 5A first- team all-state honors and was named to the MaxPreps Junior All-America second team. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER