Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 SEPT. 27, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER I n an ideal world, Notre Dame starts the season 2-0. But splitting the opening season contests at Miami and at home against Texas A&M would have been understandable. An 0-2 start, though? It's a near di- saster for the Fighting Irish. One may ponder how the Irish los- ing their first two games affects Mar- cus Freeman and his staff 's recruit- i n g e f fo r ts. A re No t re Da m e 's 27 commitments in the 2026 class thinking of backing off their verbal pledges? Are the Irish's top targets in the 2027 and even 2028 cycle going to stop consider- ing Notre Dame? Blue & Gold Illustrated asked Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic's David Jacobs Jr., the No. 3 edge and No. 23 overall player in the 2027 class per Ri- vals, if the loss negatively impacted his interest in Notre Dame after seeing it unravel in person. He almost seemed offended at the question. "No, no, no, no. I don't care," he said. "Everyone loses. What? Everyone loses. It's all good. Losses happen." And for the players committed to the Irish, the sentiment is the same. Twenty-two of the Fighting Irish's 27 players pledged in the 2026 class re- sponded to BGI's inquiry, which was the following: How are you feeling about the start of Notre Dame's season, and does it impact your commitment at all? Surely, other programs are trying to flip the Irish recruits away, a group that currently ranks No. 1 nationally accord- ing to Rivals. But all of them sent in very positive messages, and for the five who didn't respond, BGI believes they're solid with their pledge as well. "It definitely doesn't feel good to lose like that. But no matter what, I'm locked in with Notre Dame," said Aledo (Texas) High standout Kaydon Finley, the No. 16 wide receiver and No. 116 overall recruit in the land. Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield's Khary Adams, a Notre Dame commit who is the No. 4 cornerback and No. 34 overall player in the country, had a simi- lar message to Jacobs. "Losses happen," Adams said. "It doesn't impact anything." Granted, if Notre Dame continues to lose and ends up fighting for bowl eli- gibility, then it's a different discussion about this group staying together and momentum building for the 2027 and 2028 classes. "I'm feeling very strong and confi- dent in my decision," said Irish com- mit Javian Osborne from Forney (Texas) High, who is Rivals' No. 8 running back and No. 138 overall player nationally. "The adversity early on doesn't change my commitment status at all! I'm very proud and blessed to be a part of such a tradition and program like this. I love this team and my brothers that are a part of this 2026 class." "I think everyone is locked in no mat- ter what," three-star linebacker and Irish commit Matthews (N.C.) Wed- dington's Thomas Davis Jr. added. "We are going to be here for the good and the bad, for sure." NIGHT GAME ATMOSPHERE IMPRESSES NOTRE DAME TARGETS Many of the recruits visiting for a Notre Dame game may be coming off a loss themselves. But these young men — espe- cially those who are high school sophomores or juniors — don't focus too much on the outcome of the game they're visiting. Every underclassman recruit who BGI spoke with about their Notre Dame visit for the A&M game raved about it, in- cluding multiple five- star targets in the 2027 class. "It definitely hurt my heart a little bit to see t h e m l ose ," sa i d Fo r t L a u d e rd a l e ( F l a . ) S t . Thomas Aquinas' Mark Matthews, the No. 1 of- fensive tackle and No. 2 o v e ra l l p r o s p e c t i n America. "I was rooting for them to win. It was a great game, but special teams stuff happens. But it was a good game to watch." Fort Mill (S.C.) Catawba Ridge's Joshua Dobson, who ranks as the No. 1 cornerback and No. 5 overall recruit in the country, has no shortage of schools that he can drive to and visit on a Satur- day in the fall. For the Sept. 13 weekend, he picked South Bend. "I wanted to get up to South Bend be- cause of the recent past success they've had, especially at my position," Dob- son said. "Coach Freeman is taking the program to the next level; he's building something special. I like what he's doing up there. I wanted to go check it out for myself." It was Dobson's first Notre Dame visit, and the highlights were the people he got to meet for the first time. "Getting to see Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis and Jaylon Smith talk before the game," he said when asked about his favorite parts of the trip. "They gave good advice on why they chose Notre Dame. It was great hearing from them and talking to Coach Freeman — he's a great coach and, I enjoyed talking with him. "[Defensive backs] Coach [Mike] Mickens is an ecstatic guy. I love talking with him as well." ✦ F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Despite 0-2 Start, Notre Dame Recruiting Is Still Going Strong After the loss to Texas A&M, Aledo (Texas) High's Kaydon Finley, the No. 16 wideout and No. 116 overall prospect in the nation, said "It definitely doesn't feel good to lose like that. But no matter what, I'm locked in with Notre Dame." PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER