2023 Notre Dame linebacker target Jaiden Ausberry sets commitment date
A favorite to round out Notre Dame’s 2023 linebacker group has announced his commitment date, and it’s a little earlier than perhaps originally thought.
Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab defenseman Jaiden Ausberry will make his verbal pledge on Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports HQ, he announced on Tuesday. The four-star linebacker will choose from seven finalists: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. LSU is his father’s alma mater and his hometown school, while his older brother, Austin, is a freshman defensive back at Auburn.
While the SEC roots run deep, Notre Dame is the heavy favorite here according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (94.5 percent). Three On3 recruiting insiders have put predictions in for the Irish, including Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer. Auburn’s chances according to the metric are 1.6 percent, and LSU sits at 1.1 percent. He took official visits to Auburn, Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M in June, so he could theoretically take another. The previously stated plan was to perhaps wait a few more months to commit, but Ausberry has clearly sped up that timeline.
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The 6-0.5, 202-pound versatile defender is the No. 9 linebacker and No. 115 player overall in the 2023 class and was present this weekend in Bradenton, Fla. for Under Armour Future 50. While there, the four-star took a few minutes to speak with On3’s Sam Spiegelman about his recruitment.
“I really like Notre Dame now that Coach (Marcus) Freeman is the coach,” Ausberry said. “He recruited me last year as the defensive coordinator, so we already have that good relationship. I know Coach (Al) Washington because he recruited me at Ohio State. So I know a lot of people up there, including some of the players.”
Of course, Freeman is a former linebacker. He notched a top group in 2022 and seems poised to do it again with top-100 linebacker Drayk Bowen already committed to Notre Dame. Four-star linebacker Preston Zinter is also pledged to Notre Dame, and he is ranked No. 383 nationally.
The Irish currently have the No. 1 2023 class with 20 commits, 19 of whom are blue-chip recruits. The offensive and defensive breakdown is equal at this point, with 10 pledges on each side of the ball.
