Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541906
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2026 33 F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G Cornerback Khary Adams and safety Joey O'Brien are the five-star prospects, while one could argue that versatile de- fender Ayden Pouncey should be one as well. Pouncey could play anywhere in the secondary, while Chaz Smith, another four-star recruit, projects as a cornerback. And Nick Reddish could play safety or nickel for the Irish. Notre Dame won highly competitive recruitments for each player. Adams and O'Brien closely considered Oregon and Penn State before their Irish com- mitments. Other programs wanted to flip them away from Notre Dame, but they never wavered. Pouncey has strong family ties to Florida (his two older brothers and two cousins played there) and grew up a fan of Miami and LSU. But he picked the Irish. It was a surprise when Smith committed to Notre Dame over Clem- son and Texas A&M, and Reddish picked the Irish over Virginia Tech, where his two brothers play. Tip of the cap to Mickens for one of the best defensive back classes you'll see. ANOTHER 2026 QUARTERBACK RECRUIT? Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb's Teddy Jarrard has been committed to Notre Dame as a member of the 2027 class since June 2024, but he is strongly con- sidering reclassifying to 2026. If Jarrard, who currently is Rivals' No. 5 signal-caller and No. 79 overall player nationally, goes through with re- classifying, it's likely that he would offi- cially sign with the Fighting Irish on the traditional February National Signing Day and join the Notre Dame football program in the summer of 2026. "We're seriously considering this," Jarrard's father, Jerry, told Rivals' Steve Wiltfong. "Notre Dame has brought it up. Right now, they're trying to work out the details with our school and agency we work with. We're working through that. "It looks like a great opportunity for Teddy. We had it come up a few other times with Ohio State and Indiana. [Hoosiers' head coach Curt] Cignetti was highly interested in that. At the time it didn't make sense. He wanted to stick around with his buddies and have a good senior year." In 12 contests as a junior, Jarrard con- nected on 174 of 268 passes for 2,292 yards with 18 touchdowns to just 5 in- terceptions. North Cobb fell in the sec- ond round of the Georgia 6A playoffs. "I think the bottom line is Notre Dame is trying to tie up the 2026s right now," the elder Jarrard continued. "It's on the table, we just have to get some closure on a couple items. We're trying to get everything ready for the February signing period. That's the hope." If Jarrard joins the Irish's 2026 class, it would be a two-quarterback haul for Notre Dame. Florida passer Noah Grubbs signed with the Irish already. ✦ NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL 2026 SIGNEES Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School) Khary Adams* CB 6-1 185 Baltimore (Loyola Blakefield) Ja'Kobe Clapper* LB 6-2 220 Cincinnati (St. Xavier) Thomas Davis Jr.* LB 6-2 218 Weddington, NC (Weddington) Rodney Dunham* DL 6-4 225 Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park) Ebeneezer Ewetade* DL 6-4 211 Raleigh, N.C. (South Garner) Dylan Faison* WR 6-1 180 Weston, Fla. (Saint Andrews School) Kaydon Finley* WR 6-0 212 Aledo, Texas (Aledo) Devin Fitzgerald* WR 6-2 199 Tempe, Ariz. (Brophy Prep) Bubba Frazier* WR 5-8 177 Savannah, Ga. (Benedictine Military) Preston Fryzel* TE 6-4 220 Holland, Ohio (Central Catholic) Sullivan Garvin* OL 6-5 314 Allegan, Mich. (Allegan) Elijah Golden* DL 6-4 270 Fredericksburg, Va. (Cardinal Mooney [Fla.]) Noah Grubbs* QB 6-4 208 Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary) Tiki Hola* DL 6-3 305 Bastrop, Texas (Bastrop) Grayson McKeogh* OL 6-8 300 Perkasie, Pa. (La Salle College) Tyler Merrill* OL 6-5 330 Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley) Ben Nichols OL 6-5 320 Davison, Mich. (Davison) Joey O'Brien* S 6-4 190 Lafayette Hill, Pa. (La Salle Prep) Javian Osborne* RB 5-9 200 Forney, Texas (Forney) Gregory Patrick OL 6-5 275 Portage, Mich. (Portage Northern) Ayden Pouncey* CB 6-3 179 Orlando, Fla. (Winter Park) Ian Premer TE 6-6 235 Great Bend, Kan. (Great Bend) Nick Reddish* S 5-10 185 Charlotte, N.C. (Independence) Brayden Robinson* WR 5-8 164 Red Oak, Texas (Red Oak) Chaz Smith* CB 6-0 169 Knoxville, Tenn. (Knoxville Catholic) Charlie Thom* OL 6-7 275 Darien, Conn. (Avon Old Farms) Jonaz Walton* RB 5-9 208 Carrollton, Ga. (Central) * Early enrollees Irish quarterback commit Teddy Jarrard from Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb is considering a switch from the 2027 to the 2026 class. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER