The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team nabbed an enormous wide receiver commitment just as Independence Day festivities really kicked off. In doing so, Marcus Freeman and his staff hauled in 4-star wideout Kaydon Finley. They won the recruiting battle for Finley over some of the best teams in the country, including the Texas Longhorns.
By landing Finley, Notre Dame continued its incredible run in recruiting over the last few months. His commitment at least briefly moved the Blue and Gold into second place in the country according to On3's team rankings. They managed to vault over the USC Trojans and are just a smidge behind the Georgia Bulldogs for the top spot in the nation.
The three teams look poised to battle it out for the rest of the summer and fall, with one team jumping over another when they each secure a commitment. That the Fighting Irish are in the Top 5 is quite the accomplishment for Freeman, even if he can't rise all the way to the top of the heap.
Saturday could offer another wide receiver commitment for Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Devin Fitzgerald, the son of former NFL great Larry Fitzgerald, announced earlier this week he was pulling the trigger on a pledge on Saturday, July 5. Like Finley, Irish faithful will have to wait all day, as the younger Fitzgerald won't tell the world where he's committed until 7pm on Saturday night.
Brett McMurphy is not convinced Notre Dame will go far in the 2026 College Football Playoffs
While there's a ton of excitement over just how far the Irish could go in the College Football Playoffs, at least one analyst is not all that convinced.
Brett McMurphy, formerly of On3, released a playoff prediction bracket in which he has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the top seed and top-ranked team. However, he expects them to lose to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the semifinals round after knocking off the Oregon Ducks.