Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 MARCH 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TYLER HORKA C ollege football recruiting is as con- voluted as ever. High school prospects aren't just choosing where they want to spend the next four years of their developmental experience as student-athletes. They're no longer just signing national letters of intent. They're signing contracts, as if they're professionals, with an un- derstanding they'll need to renegotiate terms with the university annually. So, on one hand, there is less pres- sure to put your name on the dotted line because it's as easy now as it's ever been to change your mind and move to a new destination at the conclusion of any given season. But there is also precedent for loyalty to shine through and win in the end. The preferred path for any high school senior turned college freshman should still be to stick it out with the same school from start to finish. That's the route Thomas Davis Jr. sees for himself. Davis, the No. 18 linebacker nation- ally in the 2026 Rivals Industry Rank- ings, could have chosen to stay in the South — he's a product of Matthews (N.C.) Weddington High School — and attend any number of powerhouses on the warmer side of the Mason-Dixon Line, from Georgia to Tennessee to LSU. But in a long collection of parameters determining his commitment, geogra- phy was low on the list. Davis was more concerned with his future beyond the time he'll spend in college. In that case, the institution that most invests in its enrollees as people and players was the one to which he wanted to dedicate himself. Without question, that institution is the University of Notre Dame. "The great education there is one thing," Davis told The Twins Take Pod- cast. "They put players in the NFL. They produce great linebackers. And just the people there, some of the best people you'll meet. It just felt like a family en- vironment and just somewhere I would want to be." GOING WITH GOD Someone who fit firmly into the cate- gory of people Davis wanted to surround himself with was former linebackers coach Max Bullough. Key word: former. Bullough was Davis' primary recruiter and one of the main reasons he was so sold on Notre Dame. But within days of Davis signing with the Fighting Irish in December, Bullough took a job at his alma mater, Michigan State. Davis won't ever get to play a down for the coach who was the most in- fluential in him choosing to suit up in South Bend. That's not something he loses sleep over, though. He's got a much broader mindset when it comes to the logistics of coaching turnover and whatever other craziness is a given in the sport. "That happens in college football," he said. "It's another thing that, you kind of want to make sure you're commit- ting to a school and not to a person. You don't really want to commit based on what kind of staff [is there]. "Coaches in college, they're kind of similar to us. They want to reach higher goals. If you're committing because you have a good relationship with this posi- tion coach or this defensive coordina- tor or whatever, they want to be head coaches, too, sometimes. So, you have to commit to a school and not a coach." Davis' commitment was also heavily rooted in faith and fundamental beliefs. Those are values that'll always be there no matter what the makeup of a coach- ing staff is. But they're not as prevalent at some schools as they are at others. At Notre Dame, they're not just prev- alent. They're paramount. It's a perfect place for someone as intertwined with the church as Davis. "I can't go anywhere without God," he said. That statement is one Davis came into close contact with during the COVID-19 pandemic. With nothing else to do and nowhere to go, the Davis family watched sermons together in their living room. Little did Davis know at the time the liv- ing room would become a space of such profound connection to Christ. His friend, Kamryn Kitchen, invited him to a Bible study session after his sophomore year at Weddington. Da- vis had a torn up shoulder at the time, and he needed a rejuvenated spirit and something to set him on the right course Thomas Davis Jr. Finds His Match Made In Heaven At Notre Dame Davis' decision to join the Fighting Irish was way deeper than a choice grounded solely in athletics. It was a literal leap of faith. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY