BREAKING | 2026 WR Kaydon Finley Commits To Notre Dame

For Kaydon Finley‍, home is home.

And, for the 2026 Texas receiver, home will be in South Bend, Ind., as Finley just announced his commitment to Notre Dame.

Finley gives the Irish 23 verbal commitments in the Class of 2026 and three receivers, joining Dylan Faison‍ and Bubba Frazier‍. That number could swell soon as Arizona receiver Devin Fitzgerald‍ and Texas’ Brayden Robinson‍ are scheduled to make announcements on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with the Irish considered favorites for both as well.

Finley chose the Irish over his other finalists, Texas and Texas A&M, along with dozens of offers from major programs.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Aledo High School is the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley.

He visited Notre Dame several times throughout the recruiting process, including twice last month, once for an unofficial visit and again for an official. In fact, despite being a Texas native and the son of a former Longhorn star, Finley visited South Bend more than Austin.

Still, Texas made this a close race in the final weeks with sources in Austin saying the Longhorns felt Finley was a prospect who was too important to lose.

Irish sources responded by saying, “We feel the same.”

And in the end, it was Notre Dame that won.

“They see me fitting in more like an outside deep receiver; like post routes, go routes, curls, comebacks and all those,” he said. “I think anything on the field will fit me well, but I think those are my strengths.”

Notre Dame receivers coach Mike Brown, general manager Mike Martin and head coach Marcus Freeman were instrumental in Finley’s ultimate decision.

“I love Coach Freeman, Coach Brown, and how they coach and teach their players,” he told ISD.

“I think Coach Freeman is one of the best coaches that I've personally been with. I think he's one of the best in the game for sure. He's a very genuine person. I think he's a head coach anybody in the nation would run through a wall for. I think of him really highly.”

Finley was sold on Martin with one phone call.

“He's a very smart football guy,” Finley said of Martin. “I can hear it. He's very energetic too, so I think he can be a great general manager for Notre Dame. I like him a lot,”

The other members of the 2026 class played important roles as well.

“I'm going to be around those people most of the time,” Finley said. “That's who I'm going to be learning with and developing with also.”

Finley is another top target the Irish closed on during official visits in June, joining tight ends Ian Premer‍ and Preston Fryzel‍, offensive linemen Charlie Thom‍ and Grayson McKeogh‍, defensive backs Khary Adams‍ and Joey O'Brien‍.

In addition to Fitzgerald and Robinson, the Irish are sitting in good spots with safety Nicholas Reddish‍, who will announce on July 11th, and defensive end Elijah Golden‍, who will make his pick on July 26th. And, it’s still unclear where Notre Dame stands with tight end Evan Jacobson‍.

What is clear is that the Irish are putting together one of the very best classes in recent memory and Finley is a major piece of that puzzle.

Film Don’t Lie | Kaydon Finley

Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD

Antigua Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish Lush Button-Up

Click here to read article