Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman land their next Kyle Hamilton to absolutely stack their 2025 recruiting class

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman went through the critical month of June without a single recruiting commitment. They had already landed commitments from 21 recruits heading into the summer and already boasted a top five recruiting class for 2025, but the Fighting Irish needed to make a few more key additions.

One of the most important players left on their board was high four star defensive back JaDon Blair from Winston Salem, NC. A two-way player and NFL legacy, Blair brings great length and athleticism at 6'4", 200 pounds that is hard to find coming out of high school.

JaDon Blair commits to Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman

The battle for JaDon Blair came down to Penn State, Florida State, South Carolina, Michigan, and Notre Dame. And after some theatrics from Blair today--faking out Penn State and Michigan fans, grabbing their hats first--he inevitably committed to Notre Dame.

Apparently Blair had actually known that he was committing to the Fighting Irish for over a month, but had waited to make official visits before finalizing his announcement. Although Notre Dame had fallen down his list just a few short months ago, once he got to know the new defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, he was sold.

JaDon Blair's fit with Notre Dame

Notre Dame hasn't had a safety quite like JaDon Blair since Kyle Hamilton was terrorizing offenses back in 2021. It's not that Blair will automatically become one of the best safeties in the country like Hamilton, but he does bring the height, length, and athleticism that makes for an easy comparison. Blair can play close to the line of scrimmage as a force in the run game, but then on the very next play push deep to make an interception (four just last year).

Related: Incoming transfer QB headlines Notre Dame stars in latest ESPN 2025 NFL mock draft

Xavier Watts is currently the near every down safety for Notre Dame who led the team in defensive snaps in 2023. However, he will likely depart for the NFL after this upcoming season. The team will be looking for instant impact playmakers at safety to step up. Blair might just be that special of a talent to plug in right away.

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And if you want to watch some JaDon Blair highlights to see just how good he could be for the Fighting Irish you can check out the video below!