The Notre Dame football team continues to be on one heck of a May heater on the recruiting track, this time adding the commitment of Jackson Vaughn. The 4-star EDGE announced his pick of the Fighting Irish on Monday evening in a special broadcast on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel.
Ahead of the commitment date, Vaughn had narrowed his list of schools in contention to Auburn, LSU, Miami, South Carolina, and the Fighting Irish. The announcement also comes not long after the defender reclassified from the 2028 class to the 2027 class. This means that Marcus Freeman and Co. will get to see what Vaughn can do a year earlier than originally planned. Interestingly enough, it’s the second player in the last few years to jump up a year, joining quarterback Teddy Jarrard.
While the announcement ceremony had several hats on the table, it was long thought that Notre Dame was the team to beat. Over the last month, analysts from both On3 and 247Sports have made predictions for the New Jersey product to eventually play his college ball in South Bend.
"I started thinking about reclassing maybe mid football season," Vaughn recently told Brian Dohn of 247Sports earlier this month. The talented defender is the No. 15 edge rusher and No. 105 player in the 2027 class. "Honestly, playing as a freshman and feeling like I was a little advanced — and the whole O-line was seniors this year, so we got a bunch of young guys now and, honestly, not wanting to be comfortable. Just keep pushing. Keep staying uncomfortable."
Jackson Vaughn gives Notre Dame football another major defensive line recruiting win
"I thought, mentally, I was in a good place — and, physically, I know I'll get there just being in a college program in January."
Coming into Tuesday, the Fighting Irish already earned commitments from 5-star defensive tackle David Folorunsho and top-100 defensive end Aidan O’Neil. Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has his eyes set on an elite overall group in the 2027 recruiting class. He very much wanted Jackson Vaughn to be part of that group, and now Partridge got his wish.
The defender’s commitment keeps what has been an interesting pipeline of late from Bergen Catholic in New Jersey to Notre Dame. It’s not hard to see why the two schools might have an unofficial partnership. At the same time, it’s a bit different considering the schools aren’t really in the same region of the country. It’s not as though the Irish have a deep background in New Jersey otherwise.
Vaughn is one of the best Bergen Catholic imports to South Bend in the last few years. He’s been an impressive impact player on the defensive end and a sackmaster off the edge.
In his freshman season, he had 16 tackles and 8 sacks. In 2025, he amassed 40 tackles (12 TFL), another 8 sacks, and 3 passes broken up.
Now that Jackson Vaughn is officially a member of Notre Dame’s 2027 class, he can start helping Marcus Freeman and Co. reel in a pair of his teammates. Both Amiir and Adrian Woodward are highly touted defensive backs in the 2028 class who could certainly see the EDGE’s commitment to the Irish as a move they need to follow.
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