Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 43 Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic cornerback Daveon Belhomme was a fringe Power Four recruit over the sum- mer who officially visited Wake Forest, but things cooled between the two par- ties. Since then, he has added several Power Four offers, plus Notre Dame. Iowa State, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Florida State, Auburn, Texas A&M and Iowa have all thrown their hats in the ring, but with just a few weeks until the early signing period for the 2027 class, which opens Dec. 2, it's crunch time in Belhomme's recruitment. He's essentially narrowed his choices to two schools: Auburn and Notre Dame. " I t 's b e e n g o i n g great," he told Blue & Gold Illustrated re- garding his recruit- ment. "Those are really my top two schools. After I take those visits, I'm going to make my decision." Notre Dame is a big reason why Bel- homme's recruitment has heated up so much in the past several weeks. The Irish offered him Sept. 27, before any of the aforementioned schools did. Their belief in him resonates with the 6-foot- 1, 186-pound three-star prospect. Irish defensive backs coach and co- defensive coordinator Aaron Henry stopped by Central Catholic during Notre Dame's bye week to watch Bel- homme practice and was impressed with what he saw. "He's excited about me, and I'm a bigger defensive back than he expected," said Belhomme. Sources close to Belhomme tell BGI that Notre Dame is the team to beat in his recruitment. " I ta l k to C o a c h [Shaun] Shivers the most, and that's been going great. I also talk with J-Cod [Jevaughn Codlin], the safeties coach. I have a good relationship with those guys. I like that I get to talk with multiple coaches." Shivers — Notre Dame's assistant wide receivers coach and ace Florida recruiter — has been a key figure in the Irish's pursuit of Belhomme. "He's a really cool guy," Belhomme said. "He can't wait for me to get up there and visit. For him not to be my position coach but still recruiting me — getting updates and keeping up with me — is great." Belhomme's first trip to South Bend will take place the weekend of Nov. 14 for an official visit. He's fired up about it. "I can't wait to visit," Belhomme added. "I absolutely cannot wait." He'll officially visit Auburn the fol- lowing weekend. "I'll probably look to commit at the end of November," he said. — Mike Singer Notre Dame is in hot pursuit of one of the top linebackers in the 2028 class. On Oct. 9, Irish director of scouting DJ Bryant was at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's game at New Palestine (Ind.) High to watch four-star edge commit Jackson Vaughn and get a look at his teammate, DJ Alexander, who is one of the top prospects in his class, ranking as the No. 2 linebacker and No. 59 overall player nationally per Rivals. The Irish offered Alexander May 12, before the start of his junior season, and are now one of 31 Power Four programs in the mix. With so much competition for the No. 5 player in Florida, Notre Dame is still searching for ways to stand out. Having Bryant at one of his games is one way it has done so. "Just the fact that they want me," Alexander told Blue & Gold Illustrated after IMG Academy's 49-7 triumph against New Palestine. "It's a blessing to have a school like Notre Dame, with their culture, want a player like me. I'm very blessed to have the opportunity." Bryant is not the only Notre Dame staff member involved in Alexander's recruit- ment. According to Alexander, Irish line- backers coach Brian Jean-Mary and di- rector of recruiting Carter Auman have also been in frequent contact with him. "They say I'm fast, physical, and they say I fit Notre Dame," said Alexander. That wasn't their only message. They also made it clear he's one of their top targets in the 2028 cycle. "They're just very interested in me," Alexander said. "They want me to come for a game. We're trying to make it work." Now that Alexander knows he's a pri- ority, the Irish need to get him on cam- pus to become a true contender in his recruitment. That next step, however, could be difficult to arrange. "As of right now, my schedule is full," he said, "but if there's an opportunity to go to Notre Dame, then I'll definitely take the opportunity." — Kyle Kelly Notre Dame Looks To Make Late Addition To 2027 Class Irish Continue Pursuit Of Elite 2028 Linebacker DAVEON BELHOMME ✪ ✪ ✪ Central Catholic H.S. Clearwater, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2027 Position: Cornerback Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 186 Rivals Rankings: No. 79 player in Florida and the No. 98 cornerback nationally DJ ALEXANDER ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla. Status: Offered Class: 2028 Position: Linebacker Ht.: 6-0½ • Wt.: 215 Rivals Rankings: No. 5 player in Florida, and No. 2 linebacker and No. 59 overall player nationally "It's a blessing to have a school like Notre Dame, with their culture, want a player like me. I'm very blessed to have the opportunity." ALEXANDER "I can't wait to visit, I absolutely cannot wait." BELHOMME