Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 SUMMER 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Highlands Ranch (Colo.) Valor Chris- tian class of 2027 wide receiver Jackson Coleman announced his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish May 4. It's a significant recruiting win for the Irish — Marcus Freeman's program offered Coleman less than three weeks prior to his decision and quickly landed his commitment. Notre Dame beat out Oregon for Coleman, and he had the likes of Auburn, Miami, Michigan and Stanford in pursuit of him as well. "It fits who I am," Coleman told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "The university has really good values in everything they do — both academically and in football. Notre Dame is the place to be. "I'm excited to be part of the program and the Fighting Irish family." The 6-4, 205-pounder added Notre Dame to his offer list April 16, one day after Irish director of recruiting Carter Auman visited his high school. Seven days later, he was in South Bend for his first visit. "Notre Dame is a special place with everything it has going on," he contin- ued. "I love the coaches, facilities and atmosphere. I really believe I can be successful at that place." Coleman's high school head coach is Mike Sanford Jr., who served as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator and quar- terbacks coach in 2015-16. Sanford's fa- ther, Mike Sanford Sr., was the Irish's quarterbacks coach in 1997-98. The Centennial State native was able to use his coach as a resource to gain more information about Notre Dame. "Since he coached there, he gave me his insight," Coleman said. "What the Notre Dame coaches and Coach Sanford told me aligned." Coleman, a three-star prospect, informed the Notre Dame staff of his commitment May 1, first calling Free- man with the news. "I told him that I want to be a part of the program," Coleman recalled. "Then I called [wide receivers] Coach [Mike] Brown, and it was just awesome to com- mit. They were all pumped up and excited." He had official visits lined up with Northwestern and Oregon for June with plans to take his recruitment into the summer. But those trips will no longer take place. Coleman will only officially visit Notre Dame. "I felt like the time was now," he said about committing earlier than expected. "I felt the calling to commit." Coleman became Notre Dame's first wide receiver commitment of the class. He is ranked as the No. 113 wide re- ceiver nationally by Rivals, but Coleman has posted impressive numbers dating back to last spring, including a 4.57 40- yard dash at The Opening in 2025 — an incredibly impressive mark for a sopho- more at his size. In his second-ever track meet, he ran a 10.75 in the 100-meter race. He fol- lowed that up with a 10.67 in the Colo- rado 5A State Track & Field Champion- ship last May to finish fifth. Coleman made his mark as a soph- omore on a Valor Christian team that reached the Colorado 5A state semifi- nals, catching 18 passes for 296 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had a strong junior campaign, hauling in 45 passes for 975 yards and 9 scores. Coleman's squad fell once again in the state semis. He was a Colorado High School Activities Association honorable mention all-state selection. "I love football and love learning about it," Coleman said. "My game is a lot of yards after the catch and making explosive plays. "Off the field, I love working out and learning more about football. I love playing any sport." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JACKSON COLEMAN FILM ANALYSIS "Jackson Coleman is an interesting prospect. I remember evaluating him in our initial Ri- vals300 overhaul coming off the junior season, and there are a lot of positives with him as a prospect. You have to start with his combina- tion of size and speed. Coleman measured at 6-3, 190 pounds going into his junior season, and he has a lot of speed on the track. He ran in the 10.6s as a sophomore. You see that speed on the field. "He can really stretch the field. Coleman is explosive with the ball in his hands, and the combination of size and speed is very pro- jectable. He's also younger for the class. He doesn't turn 17 until June. He could techni- cally be a 2028 prospect, so the fact that he's so athletic and really good size while being that young is a positive. There's a lot of physi- cal tools to work with." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power Notre Dame Reels In Speedy Colorado Wide Receiver As a sophomore in 2025, Coleman — seen here with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on his visit — ran a 10.67 to place fifth in the 100 meters at the Colorado 5A state championships. PHOTO COURTESY JACKSON COLEMAN