Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2026 53 2026 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER D uring the summer before his freshman year of high school, Kaydon Finley earned his first scholarship offer, and it came from his father's alma mater, the University of Texas. If you would have told Jermi- chael Finley at that point that his son would end up at Notre Dame, it would have surprised him. But when he got the news from his son last summer, it didn't take him aback in the slightest. "Seeing the kid he's devel- oped into, it doesn't surprise me," the elder Finley told Blue & Gold Illustrated. Finley retired after six sea- sons in the NFL because of a spinal cord injury. If anyone understands the importance of life after football, it's Jermichael Fin- ley. He's thrilled that his son will get a strong education at Notre Dame and play for the Fighting Irish coaching staff. "They really care about the boys," Finley added. "I remember being in a locker room and seeing Notre Dame guys, and they were smart, knew the game and understood life after football. And that's what I wanted for Kaydon. We knew he could play football. As par- ents, we wanted him to get the academic and life after football part down. "When he picked Notre Dame, we were like, 'Heck yeah, let's do it.' Marcus Free- man and Mike Brown have a Ph.D. in developing young men." The elder Finley helped guide his son during the recruiting process without trying to steer him in any specific way. "I sat back for the most part and let him be in the driver's seat," he said. "I talked to him about the ups and downs of the process, but at the end of the day, I wanted him to pick the school." T we n t y - f i ve o f N o t r e Dame's 30 recruits in the 2026 class enrolled in January, in- cluding Finley. "It's bittersweet," Jermi- chael Finley said. "I'm excited for him and ready for him to see what his journey holds, but he's been my guy his entire life. He set the tone for his brothers. It's going to be bittersweet at the house. "He just finished the introduction of his career, and now starts the real first chapter of the book he's going to write for himself." ✦ Notre Dame Marks Next Chapter For Kaydon Finley Finley committed to Notre Dame over Texas with the full support of his father, Jermichael Finley, who is a Longhorns alum. PHOTO COURTESY JERMICHAEL FINLEY KAYDON FINLEY WIDE RECEIVER 6-1 · 200 ALEDO H.S. ALEDO, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪✪✪✪ 165 25 24 ✪✪✪✪ 122 20 15 ✪✪✪✪ — 36 40 ✪✪✪✪ 134 20 16 STATISTICS • Amassed 220 receptions for 3,948 yards and 54 scores during his high school career. • Caught 75 passes for 1,485 yards and 21 touch- downs as a senior in 2025. • Had an impressive junior campaign as well, hauling in 81 passes for 1,432 yards and 21 scores. • Helped Aledo capture the Texas 5A D-I state championship in 2022 and 2023. • Set Aledo records for single-season touchdown receptions (21) and all-time touchdowns (54). NOTABLE • Named the Star-Telegram High School Football Offensive Player of the Year in 2025. • Tabbed as the District 3-5A MVP in 2025. • Earned a spot on the Texas High School Asso- ciation 5A Super Elite Team in 2024. • Selected to the Texas Sports Writers Associa- tion Class 5A all-state first-team offense in 2024. • Was the GM Sports Media Parker County Of- fensive MVP in 2024. • Received MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America second-team offense honors in 2024. • His father, Jermichael Finley, played six years in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and was part of their Super Bowl XLV championship team. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on July 4, 2025. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Texas, the program his father played for. • Recruited by receivers coach Mike Brown. • Visited Notre Dame eight times, including his official on June 13, 2025. 2026 PROJECTION • Finley could be a contributor as a true fresh- man but is more likely to redshirt. THEY SAID IT Head coach Marcus Freeman: "He's playing probably some of the most competitive ball in all of high school in his conference, in his league. He is as talented as anybody you'll see, and he's a guy we've been on for quite a while. "We knew it was going to be a difficult recruiting process to try to convince him to come up here instead of maybe going somewhere where his dad went or somewhere closer to home. But I think with Kaydon it was the relationships with the guys in this class that ultimately got him to say yes. "And those are two extremely talented wide receivers." Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "This is a massive catch for Notre Dame. He's not the biggest, but he has really good hands and instincts that he inherited from his dad. He has great speed and moves after the catch. He does ev- erything well. Finley is a go-to type wide receiver. He's not the elite of the elite, but he's right below that as a really good wide receiver. "Finley is a little quicker than Jaden Greathouse coming out of high school, but they are similar. Finley might be slightly better."