Texas legacies Jalen Lott, Kaydon Finley carving their own paths at Oregon, Notre Dame

Two of the most coveted blue-chip recruits in Texas came off the board in the last week as Jalen Lott and Kaydon Finley pushed forward with their college decisions.

On July 4, Finley committed to Notre Dame — which had been sitting in the driver’s seat with the four-star wide receiver from Aledo (Texas) High since the spring.

On Tuesday, Lott declared for Oregon, which was among the first offers to arrive for Rivals’ No. 2-ranked ATH and never took its foot off the gas, especially as they moved toward the finish line of his recruiting process.

Finley and Lott are two of the top prospects in the Rivals300 for the 2026 class. Both are well-known Longhorns legacies with strong family connections to the program — and were in high demand from Steve Sarkisian and the Texas coaching staff leading up to their July decisions.

Finley grew up attending games in Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. His father, Jermichael Finley, owns multiple receiving records by tight ends at Texas — and was a key cog in the last Longhorns’ national championship alongside Vince Young in 2005.

Kaydon’s recruiting process featured a heavy dosage of Texas, but also included more exposure to other enterprising programs around the country, including Arizona State, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

Finley has been making trips from Fort Worth up to South Bend since his eighth-grade year. His aunt graduated from Notre Dame. No team had pushed harder for the blue-chip pass-catcher since his junior season at Aledo harder than Freeman and Irish WR coach Mike Brown.

At crunch time, Finley leaned toward etching his own way with his choice.

“I always had a feeling it would be Notre Dame,” said Finley, the No. 14-ranked WR in the Rivals300.

“The Notre Dame visits blew us out of the water,” he continued. “They have an amazing culture. I have amazing relationships with the staff there. Coach Freeman is a hands-on players coach, and I’m a big relationships guy, so my recruitment … I took all to heart and felt all the love from the guys at Notre Dame, the coaches there, and the guys committed.”

The connections formed between Freeman and the Irish with the Finley Family were unmatched.

It gave the younger Finley more confidence to carve out his legacy outside of the Lone Star State.

“God led me to Notre Dame to compete under Coach Freeman. His plan for me is greater than my own and I can’t wait to see what the future holds,” Finley posted on Instagram in the days following his commitment to the Irish. “I have the utmost respect for Coach Sarkisian and his staff. UT has always been a special place for me and my family. … With guys like Arch Manning and Dia Bell leading the way, Texas is set up for big success and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Similarly, both of Lott’s parents are Texas alumni.

Lott’s father — James Lott — is in the Texas Men’s Hall of Honor for his decorated career running track in Austin. His mother, Fey Lott, played hoops for the Longhorns

Texas was keen on keeping the legacy in the Lott Family.

Oregon became a serious factor in Lott’s recruitment as a freshman at Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy. Over the past three-plus years, those relationships have continued to evolve and strengthen.

The dynamic blue-chipper identified his connections to Dan Lanning, Ross Douglas and the coaching staff in Eugene as the decisive factor — along with the opportunity to do something unique in a community like Eugene that cherishes Ducks football with a colossal brand like Nike at his disposal.

“Being there at Oregon, football is the main thing,” Lott told Rivals of his commitment to Oregon. “I can walk around and make a name for myself, especially if I’m playing early and with all of the resources available to me there … If I ball out and make a name for myself, everything will fall into place. It will all gravitate toward me.”

Like Finley, Lott carved his own path with his commitment out of state.

Both blue-chippers were especially intentional with their moves — every step of this journey.

“I don’t want anything handed to me,” Lott added. “I wanna shake it up and make a name for myself.”