Coming off of a trip to the National Championship Game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a few massive holes to fill. The good news for the Fighting Irish is the fact that Marcus Freeman has taken the team's recruiting ability to another level. On a yearly basis, the Fighting Irish are recruiting at a level where they can compete for the Nation's top recruiting class.
Marcus Freeman's ability as a recruiter helps in these situations where the team has to replace former stars like Riley Leonard, Xavier Watts, Benjamin Morrison, and Jack Kiser, among others. In the case of Xavier Watts, the Fighting Irish may be able to turn to one of their true freshmen signees to fill the void.
This past recruiting cycle, Marcus Freeman and his staff dipped into North Carolina's talent pool to sign safety JaDon Blair who was ranked as the 115th ranked player in the Country, the 11th ranked safety in the class, and the 5th ranked player out of North Carolina.
At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, JaDon Blair brings unique traits to Notre Dame's roster with size similar to former Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton. While JaDon Blair is just a true freshman, he's already turning heads at the Fighting Irish's fall camp, earning the "unicorn" title.
Today's No. 1 practice standout: Freshman safety JaDon Blair.
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) August 2, 2025
During one-on-ones, Blair had one INT and one PBU. He did not allow a reception.
At 6-foot-5 with crazy long arms, the Winston-Salem, N.C. product is a unicorn. https://t.co/OIEzaxSi0X pic.twitter.com/W6JkoJEq70
Hearing that the Fighting Irish once again have found a safety with rare size and coverage ability should be frightening to programs around the Country, as Marcus Freeman and his staff have found the blueprint.
The scary thought is that not too far in the distant future, JaDon Blair could be joined by another massive safety with incredible length. In the 2026 recruiting cycle, Marcus Freeman beat out James Franklin for elite safety Joey O'Brien who just so happens to be 6-foot-4 with incredible coverage ability.
Marcus Freeman and his staff have found a way to land elite talent on the back end of the defense and for year's to come the defense can anchor the Fighting Irish.
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