2025 four-star safety JaDon Blair includes Notre Dame in top 10
Notre Dame football’s top safety target in the 2025 class has narrowed his recruitment to 10 schools. Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor junior JaDon Blair is down to Notre Dame, Florida State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — Blair is the No. 122 overall player, No. 13 safety and No. 5 prospect in North Carolina.
In On3’s own rankings, Blair is the No. 43 overall player, No. 2 safety and No. 4 prospect in North Carolina.
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Blair reports over 22 offers. Duke, Georgia Tech, LSU, Mississippi State, NC State, Tennessee and West Virginia are among the schools that did not make the cut.
The Irish offered Blair a scholarship last May. About two months later, he visited campus for the program’s end-of-summer “grill & chill” recruiting event on July 30. He returned on Sept. 23 for the Ohio State game.
Blair also twice saw the Irish on the road: against Duke on Sept. 30 and against Louisville on Oct. 7.
Notre Dame still near the top of JaDon Blair’s recruitment despite Chris O’Leary’s departure
Blair’s former primary recruiter from Notre Dame, safeties coach Chris O’Leary, left for a position with the Los Angeles Chargers. Still, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has Notre Dame in the thick of his recruitment.
“Notre Dame is still very high on our list as a family,” Blair’s father, Jay Blair, told Blue & Gold on Feb. 12. “We love that Coach O’Leary is now coaching in the league. He was an extremely important factor with ND, but not the end all be all. Coach Freeman is still there, and that matters the most.”
After JaDon Blair visited Notre Dame for the Ohio State game, he spoke to Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer about his relationship with Freeman and his pitch.
“Freeman (would) love to see me in his program,” Blair told Blue & Gold on Oct. 4. He texts me a lot and says how I’m welcome any time up there. That’s big to me. Coach Freeman is in contact with me more than all the head coaches.”
Director of recruiting Chad Bowden also plays a major role in Blair’s recruitment.
“I love Chad,” he said. “That’s a really energetic dude. I like that. I get to talk to him a lot. He tells me that they need me. He wants me to commit whenever. I love being around him. He’s a really funny dude.”
Blair is set to officially visit Notre Dame from June 11-13. He will also officially visit Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina.
