Notre Dame Continues to Leverage NFL Bloodlines to Bolster Receiving Core

Anyone who follows Notre Dame, or recruiting, or both, is well aware of some of the angst around the program's ability to land game-changing receivers in recent years. Some lost recruiting battles with other schools, paired with some developmental issues, have kept the WR room from achieving the elite status that Notre Dame is accustomed to having across the board - until now.

Photo via Devin Fitzgerald

In 2025, the Fighting Irish will roll out a very talented two-deep that includes CFP hero Jaden Greathouse, excellent slot receiver Jordan Faison, and a couple of transfers in Malachi Fields and Will Pauling that are poised to have a significant impact. Outside of those four, there is a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Blue chip WRs like Micah Gilbert, Cam Williams, and Scrap Richardson have been waiting for their opportunity, Elijah Burress, who had a solid spring game could potentially carve out a role for himself as a true freshman, and other players like Logan Saldate, Jerome Bettis Jr and KK Smith give the roster some more depth. The class of 2026 has now added a pair of pass catchers that could push that position room over the top for years to come.

Notre Dame was able to lock down commitments from a couple of big-time players, both of whom happen to be sons of former NFL stars. 4-star Kaydon Finley and 3-star Devin Fitzgerald both made it official during the July 4th weekend, and both players are exactly the type that Notre Dame needs to get the WR room back to the standard of excellence that Irish fans are looking for.

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Kaydon Finley - (Aledo, Texas)

Finley has compiled some impressive numbers over his high school career, racking up over 2,500 yards to go along with an eye-popping 34 touchdowns. Based on what he did as a Junior, it is conceivable that he will get to 50 TDs by the time his Senior season concludes, which is a remarkable feat as a WR. Finley has proven effective as both a slot WR and when playing on the perimeter. He is not a blazer, but possesses enough speed to eat up cushion vs off coverage and put stress on the defensive back. Finley has elite-level tracking and is very smooth when it comes to adjusting himself mid-route and playing with body control near the sidelines. He is a crisp route runner with no wasted movement on short, in-breaking patterns. There are times when he is lined up in the slot where he could benefit from pushing upfield and selling vertical a little more before making his break, but he is solid overall in this area. He can go up and get the ball, especially in the red zone, and plays with strong hands through the catch point. His physicality after the catch is one of his greatest attributes, as he has routinely turned what should be a modest gain in the short and intermediate passing game into highlight reel plays with his balance and play strength. That skillset has allowed him to be used on jet sweeps, where he has been very efficient at the high school ranks. He can make plays at all three levels of the field. Finley is also a very willing blocker, using good leg drive and playing through the whistle. Any Notre Dame fan who watched the playoff game vs Indiana, where Jeremiayh Love had his 98 touchdown run, knows how crucial a block from a perimeter receiver could be.

In the case of Finley, the skillset certainly matches the numbers, and his 4-star status is well earned. A multi-alignment receiver with the type of elite after-catch ability he has could catapult him into playing time early in his college journey.

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Devin Fitzgerald - (Phoenix, AZ)

The Brophy College Prep product has not accumulated the same type of gaudy numbers as Kaydon Finley thus far, but playing at the highest level of competition Arizona high school football has to offer, he has very much still made a name for himself. Already at 6'2" and 200 pounds, Fitzgerald certainly has the prototypical size you would look for in a boundary receiver.

Fitzgerald handles press coverage well, with a blend of strength and foot quickness to get him off the line of scrimmage. As he sharpens the hand-fighting aspect of his release package, it will make him even more efficient in this area. His route running, specifically his ability to find and fill the void vs zone coverage, is an impressive trait and one that is more polished than a lot of his other high school counterparts. He also does a good job of working back to the QB when a play breaks down, earning the trust that he will always be in the right spot. Fitzgerald has very strong hands at the catch point and has no issues going over the middle and maintaining his concentration, which isn't always easy for young receivers. Similar to Finley, Fitzgerald is tough to bring down once the ball is in his hands and forces defenders to wrap up and always play with good technique, as he easily runs through arm tackles for bigger gains. I think one of the things that stood out to me the most during my evaluation of him was the inconsistent QB play he had to deal with. There were multiple reps on film where he would win his matchup fairly easily, but because the QB would see him late, it turned into him having to make a contested catch. There were also times when he was able to break free deep, but the ball would hang in the air and force him to come back over the top of defenders to make the catch. In part, I think this contributes to him not having the numbers you see from some of the other top recruits at the position around the country. The good news for Irish fans is that even with these shortcomings under center, Fitzgerald has proven to be a reliable pass catcher with major upside who already has some advanced aspects of his game that will only continue to get better.

Fitzgerald is another piece to the ever-evolving puzzle that is receiver recruiting for Notre Dame. His father, Larry, once donned a gold helmet during his years in college, albeit for Pittsburgh, and after watching the film, Irish fans should be very excited about Devin choosing to wear a gold helmet of his own in South Bend.

Wide Receiver Coach Mike Brown knows what he is looking for when it comes to recruits, and Kaydon Finley and Devin Fitzgerald are the type of players that can be the shot in the arm that Notre Dame needs for one of the most hotly contested areas of the team. All it takes is landing these types of targets to get this thing moving back in the right direction, and next thing you know, the WR room might be among the biggest strengths of the roster.

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