Irish Breakdown

Lockdown Legends: Notre Dame Football Leads Nation with 2025's Top-Ranked Recruiting Secondary

Notre Dame defensive back play has improved in recent years and it only looks like it'll continue to do so .

Nick Shepkowski

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20.
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Notre Dame has been long been known for the stars it puts in the NFL at the offensive line and tight end positions. Notre Dame fans claim to be be "O-Line U" or "Tight End U" but despite having some star defensive backs in the league, nobody has ever claimed Notre Dame to be "Defensive Back U".

It takes more than just one recruiting class to change an overall narrative but there is no question that head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens are doing exactly that at Notre Dame.

Friday saw Notre Dame land their 22nd overall 2025 commitment in their current top-five national recruiting class when safety JaDon Blair announced. Blair joins a group of now six defensive backs in the class that are good as any in the nation, if not better.

Notre Dame Football Commitment: Safety Ethan Long

Ethan Long doesn't bring the highest recruiting ranking to South Bend but does bring quite the offer sheet. The 6-2, 185-pound product of Greenwich, Conn. chose Notre Dame back in early January of 2024 while holding scholarship offers from the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and several others.


Notre Dame Football Commitment: Cornerback Cree Thomas

For the second year in a row, Notre Dame went into the state of Arizona and landed the commitment from a defensive back. The 2024 class had NFL legacy Kennedy Urlacher while 2025 brings in the 6-1, 180-pound Cree Thomas. Thomas hauled in five interceptions and 43-tackles as a high school junior at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix.


Notre Dame Football Commitment: Safety JaDon Blair

Notre Dame has had a belief that they needed to get longer in the secondary in order to take the next step as a position group. They certainly accomplished that when they landed the commitment of JaDon Blair who checks in at 6-4, 190-pounds. The comparisons to Kyle Hamilton will be natural seeing as the size and coming from the southeast. That's a bit strong (Hamilton was an NFL All-Pro in just his second year, mind you) but Blair is a willing tackler who can cover a lot of ground.


Notre Dame Football Commitment: Cornerback Dallas Golden

It's usually obvious to watch the tape of a high school star and think "wow, he really stands out" but then there are players than stand out even more. That's the case with Dallas Golden of Berkeley Prep in Tampa, Fla. The 6-0, 176-pound corner is an elite talent from an elite state.

Just how highly coveted was he? Golden chose Notre Dame over the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and plenty of others.

A fun thought to play with is thinking if Golden might one day get a few plays on Notre Dame's offense. Golden put up 221-yards of total offense and scored two touchdowns in Berkeley Prep's state championship victory last fall.

Notre Dame Football Commitment: Cornerback Mark Zackery IV

Notre Dame was able to keep one of the nation's top cornerbacks home when Mark Zackery IV of Ben Davis in Indianapolis announced his commitment back in May.

Just how athletic is the widely regarded top-100 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class? He chose Notre Dame over the likes of Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio State, and there was a report upon his commitment that he also has the option to play basketball for Micah Shrewsberry in the winter if he desires.


Notre Dame Football Commitment: Safety Ivan Taylor

Ivan Taylor checks all the boxes when it comes to being a major college football recruit. He's currently rated as Notre Dame's top overall recruit in the 2025 class according to the 247Sports composite but beyond the number his talent simply shows.

The son of former Pittsburgh Steelers standout recorded 45 tackles, six of which came for a loss as a junior at West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Fla.

The physical safety also forced four fumbles along the way. Keeping Taylor's commitment will be a priority for the Notre Dame staff the rest of the way as plenty of national powerhouses remain in contact.

Published |Modified
Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Home/Football