JaDon Blair has always intended to be diligent in its recruiting process.
And that’s exactly what the 2025 North Carolina safety and his family did, to the point that they spent more time visiting colleges in the final weeks of the process than they did at home in Charlotte.
After gathering as much information as possible, Blair and her family landed at the same school, Notre Dame.
Blair announced his decision Friday afternoon, choosing the Irish over schools like Penn State, Florida State, Michigan, Virginia Tech and South Carolina, among others.
He gives the Irish 22 verbal commitments in the 2025 class and joins Ethan LongAnd Ivan Taylorto give them three security commitments.
“My relationship with Notre Dame has gotten stronger since they offered me,” he said. “Since they offered me, I’ve heard from them every day, whether it’s coach (Marcus) Freeman, coach (Mike) Mickens, coach Al Golden, even Chad (Bowden), the head guy.
“I would get a text or call from them every day. It really meant how much of a priority I was to them and how much they wanted me to be a part of their program.”
Blair called the staff “great guys.”
“I love them,” he said. “I love Coach Mickens, I love Chad, Coach Freeman, Al Golden. They’re great people. I have a great connection with them.”
“And like I said, from that point on, I really felt like they were texting me or calling me every day, and my feelings for Notre Dame just grew and continue to grow. Those are the people I want to be around.”
The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder initially formed a close bond with former Irish safeties coach Chris O’Leary, but grew to truly appreciate Mickens’ teaching style.
“Out of all the spring trainings, and I’ve been to a lot of places, with Coach Mickens, this was the easiest for me to understand and learn. That’s what really stuck with me, too.”
That will also be important as the Irish plan to put a lot of work on the table for the Mount Tabor High School star.
“They’re going to ask me to do literally anything I can do,” Blair said. “Whether it’s blitzing, whether it’s being down the line of scrimmage and getting down to the post. They see me as such a versatile player that I can do everything. I can be inbounds. I could be on the ground. I could be in the flats, I could be in the hook, the curl.”
“They use me everywhere and they know I’m versatile and can play different positions. They just want to show that I don’t have to play one position. They think I can do it all.”
He’s also excited to join the Irish’s current recruiting class with guys like Long and Knight Deuce among others.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I’ve known Ethan for quite a while. He’s probably the first one I’ve met in this class. Deuce and I have become very close.” Jerome Bettis Jr.I have to talk to him several times. Chris Burgess, I have to talk to him too. The corner, Dallas GoldenAnd Marc Zackery IV, I have to talk to all of them.
“They’re great guys, like-minded, play their positions really well, and it’s crazy that they recruited me as much as the coaches did.”
The future Domers weren’t the only ones recruiting him. He even had a conversation with former Irish safety and current Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton.
“It was awesome,” Blair said. “It was an exciting moment for me personally. It was a normal conversation. He was talking about what I was doing, and he was talking about himself and why he went to Notre Dame, what had benefited him.
“He was just saying that he could see me that way, see me there. He was just saying that it was a great place and that’s why he chose it. That he chose a program like that when he had all the offers in the world, it’s pretty obvious.”
Blair’s decision was difficult and he hesitated several times, but in the end it was about more than football.
“Education has played a huge role, life after football,” he said. “Let’s say I play in the NFL, which is my dream, and I have a tremendously successful and great career. Let’s say I play for 10 years, I’m still 31, 32. My life is not over. I have a whole life after me. With the degree from Notre Dame and the way it prepares you for life, there aren’t many schools that offer that type of degree to do that.”
“Some of these schools have really high-quality degrees, but Notre Dame’s is just different. It’s different. It has a different weight and you can use it in different ways. That played a role. And then the culture of Notre Dame, the religion that they have and the way Notre Dame conducts itself also stood out to me.”
It was a process he appreciated having the opportunity to go through, but it was a long process and Blair is glad it is over.
“It’s great to finally be done. It’s great at first, but then it gets a little more stressful. I was grateful for the experience and I still am, but building all these relationships that can potentially benefit me in the future is what matters most. I can thank God for that.”
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