Notre Dame Recruiting Spotlight: A Conversation With C/O 2028 5-star RB Zaiden Jernigan
- Bruce Straughan
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Notre Dame has wrapped up one of the biggest recruiting weekends of Marcus Freeman's career thus far. The "who's who" of top-tier talent from across the country was in attendance on Saturday to watch the Irish dominate the USC Trojans. The weekend went about as good as it gets, with many of the attendees raving about their time on campus. One of those was C/O 2028 Composite 5-star RB Zaiden Jernigan.
Photo via Zaiden Jernigan, Instagram (@cantguard_.zay)
Jernigan is a 5'11", 195lbs RB out of Louisville High School in Louisville, Mississippi. He is currently ranked by 247Sports Composite as the No. 1 Running Back in the country, and the No. 27 overall recruit in the nation. In 2024 as a freshman in high school, he surpassed 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 30 touchdowns. He rushed 1,798 yards and 27 TDs while averaging 8.3 yards per carry, and caught 16 passes for 266 yards and 3 TDs.
I recently caught up with Zaiden, and we talked about his visit, the recruiting process, his favorite part of the trip, his relationship with the coaches, and so much more.
So, how did the trip go for Zaiden?
"It was great. I loved everything about my visit. The atmosphere was great and it lived up to expectations."
There can be a multitude of reasons a recruit enjoys their recruiting trip. For Zaiden, his favorite part was learning that he had received an offer from the coaches.
"My favorite part about the trip was getting the offer. When I received the offer, it felt unreal. I never imagined I would be in the position I am today to land an offer from a school like Notre Dame."
Zaiden loved his view from the sidelines during the USC game, and watching Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have their way on the ground against USC was his favorite part of the game.
"Watching the game up close was amazing. I've always watched Notre Dame on TV, and this was the first time watching them in person. Watching Love and Price rush for over 300 yards combined was my favorite part of the game."
How is his relationship with the coaching staff developing? Zaiden already has a pretty good relationship with RB Coach Ja'Juan Seider and is excited to continue that with the rest of the coaching staff.
"Coach Seider and I already have a pretty good relationship, and I'm looking forward to building relationships with the rest of the coaches."
Getting an offer from any D1 school is special for any recruit, but for Zaiden, getting the offer from Notre Dame really means a lot to him.
"It means a lot to receive an offer from a school like Notre Dame. They have a rich history, and I grew up watching them when I was younger."
So, what is it about Notre Dame that interests Zaiden the most?
"Notre Dame is a place where I can become the best version of me in the classroom and on the field."
Zaiden is a very talented and humble young man who has a bright future ahead of him. We at The Irish Tribune would like to wish Zaiden good luck on his journey to the next level, wherever that may be.
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