Can Notre Dame refire its May heater just as the month is starting to wrap up? Marcus Freeman and Co. will find out if they can get back on the winning track for the 2027 class on Tuesday evening when 4-star EDGE Jackson Vaughn pulls the trigger on his commitment.
Vaughn plans to announce his commitment on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel. He'll make his pledge to one of Auburn, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, or South Carolina at 6:30 pm. When he does make his pick, he'll give one of those schools a big win, considering it wasn't that long ago that he was a member of the 2028 class before reclassifying to the 2027 cycle.
"I started thinking about reclassing maybe mid football season," Vaughn recently told Brian Dohn of 247Sports. 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."
"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."
Toip247 edge @jwvaughn13 announces his college pick Tuesday and he previews his decision with @247sports https://t.co/5nnkQflraV pic.twitter.com/T5E1lddPI4
— BrianDohn247 (@BrianDohn247) May 25, 2026
Jackson Vaughn gives Notre Dame football a major Bergen Catholic recruiting chance
It doesn't hurt that Vaughn has already shown that, physically, he can dominate at the high school level. In his freshman season, he had 16 tackles and eight sacks. The following season, he amassed 40 tackles (12 TFL), 8 sacks, and 3 passes broken up. Now he'll have just one more season to get ready for whatever school he chooses on Tuesday night.
There's more than one reason why Notre Dame would love to get the New Jersey star. The Fighting Irish have a long history of raiding his high school, Bergen Catholic. One of the most famous get of Marcus Freeman from that high school is quarterback Steve Angeli. Just earlier this week, ND started pursuing a couple of Vaughn's high school teammates.
Adrian and Amiir Woodward are both defensive backs for the Crusaders. They're sticking in the 2028 class, and both are in the top 100 of their cycle. The pair has declared that wherever they go to college, they want to do it together. It would certainly be a bonus if the Fighting Irish could use one of their teammates to do some serious heavy lifting in peer recruiting.
Obviously, outside of the Woodward twins, Jackson Vaughn would be a massive get for the Fighting Irish. The best news is that they are currently the front-runners for the 4-star EDGE. Four On3 analysts have entered predictions that the defender will pick the Golden Domers.
On the 247Sports side, Dohn also entered a Crystal Ball at the start of May for Notre Dame to score the elite pass rusher. On Tuesday night, Marcus Freeman and Co. will find out if the experts were right.
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