Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY Notre Dame landed a pledge from perhaps its most notable NFL legacy recruit to date on July 5. Phoenix Brophy College Prep wide re- ceiver Devin Fitzgerald, a class of 2026 recruit, announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish over Clemson, Stan- ford and UCLA. Fitzgerald is the son of legendary Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, an 11-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team. Devin was the second NFL legacy pass catcher to commit to Notre Dame in July, joining Aledo (Texas) High four- star Kaydon Finley. Kaydon is the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jer- michael Finley, a six-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl XLV champion. Fitzgerald and Finley are part of a 2026 Notre Dame commit list that fea- tures three-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. out of Matthews (N.C.) Wed- dington. He is the son of longtime NFL linebacker and three-time Pro Bowler Thomas Davis Sr. According to Rivals, Fitzgerald is a three-star prospect, the No. 9 recruit in Arizona and the No. 83 wide receiver in the country. Before announcing his commitment, Fitzgerald told Blue & Gold Illustrated that relationships were central to his decision — particularly with Davis, freshman cornerback Cree Thomas, freshman wide receiver Elijah Burress, head coach Marcus Freeman, wide re- ceivers coach Mike Brown and general manager Mike Martin. Fitzgerald played with Thomas for three seasons at Brophy Prep, the same high school that produced former Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison. While the parallels between his current school and Notre Dame greatly mattered, the people in South Bend solidified his choice. "They are what made it for me," Fitzgerald said. "I like how all the re- cruits I'm going in with have the same goals as me and can help push me on the field and in the classroom. Notre Dame has some of the best academics in the country and one of the best football teams. It's pretty hard to compete with that. You get them both and a brother- hood for life." Of the 35 wide receivers Notre Dame offered in the 2026 cycle, Fitzgerald was the second most recent to report a scholarship. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior announced his offer from the Irish on May 8. Though the offer came less than two months before his commitment, Fitzgerald had a longstanding connec- tion with Notre Dame wide receiv- ers coach Mike Brown. His father and Brown first connected about a decade ago, and Brown has been recruiting him since June 2024. With Brown as his position coach, Fitzgerald sees himself as a potential weapon in the Notre Dame offense. "I would love to come in and replace [Jaden] Greathouse," Fitzgerald said. "I like how they move him around. He's not just an outside or slot receiver. That's what I would want my role to be. They said they needed a 50/50 jump- ball guy, and I can definitely do that." In 2024, Fitzgerald caught 52 passes for 720 yards and 9 touchdowns in 13 games, earning second-team All-Cen- tral Region honors. Before his commit- ment, he held scholarship offers from 18 Power Four programs. D u r i n g t h e re c r u i t i n g p ro c e s s, Fitzgerald officially visited all four of his finalists. He also took unofficial visits to Arizona State, Michigan, Ari- zona, Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Florida State, Duke and North Carolina. Still, after his fourth visit to Notre Dame the weekend of June 13, his decision became clear. The camaraderie among the recruits during that trip left a lasting impres- sion. Now, as a member of that group, Fitzgerald believes big things are ahead in South Bend. "I only see Notre Dame going up from here," he said. "I think the [possible] new quarterback, CJ Carr, has a great arm. The offensive coordinator [Mike Denbrock] will hopefully do what he did with LSU when Jayden Daniels was there. I'm hoping they're going to start throwing the ball a lot more. "Notre Dame always has a great de- fense. Defense is what wins you games. I know I can count on them, and we've got to hold it down on the offensive side. I'm just looking forward to being a part of that and contributing to definitely winning a natty." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE DEVIN FITZGERALD Relationships Lead NFL Legend's Son To Notre Dame FILM ANALYSIS "Devin Fitzgerald is a savvy, crafty receiver who has excellent ball-tracking skill and reliable hands. He caught almost every ball that was within his radius [at the OT7 seven-on-seven tournament at the end of June]. Fitzgerald has a knack for finding his way open, especially against zone defenses — he understands space. "He plays like the son of a pro. That's all really encouraging, and he's a guy who looks like a quality high three-star at minimum based on what we saw. He looked even better in the seven-on-seven set- ting than he did on film last season. That's a positive — he could be primed to make a jump as a senior. He plays for a good program, and Notre Dame has a strong track record at Brophy. "What we saw at OT7 was encouraging. He gives Notre Dame — at the minimum — a possession receiver who is really effective in the intermediate areas of the field. If he can continue to improve his speed and ability to separate, then I think that raises his ceiling." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Fitzgerald, the son of legendary Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, is Rivals' No. 9 recruit in Arizona and No. 83 wide receiver nationally. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER