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Notre Dame commit Ayden Pouncey scores 3 TDs in Winter Park’s comeback win

Singer headshotby: Mike Singer15 hours agoMikeTSinger
Ayden Pouncey on3 fp (1)
2026 four-star defensive back Ayden Pouncey (Mike Singer/Rivals)

Notre Dame defensive back commit Ayden Pouncey must have been frustrated in the first half of Friday night’s game.

His Winter Park (Fla.) High squad trailed 17-3 with 4:00 left in the second quarter, and Creekside (Fla.) High was doing everything possible to keep the ball away from Pouncey. Their efforts were paying off.

Pouncey is electric in the return game, but Creekside never kicked to him all night. He played free safety in the first half, but everything was kept away from him. And the four-star recruit had zero targets until that 4:00 mark.

The Creekside defense bracketed Pouncey on nearly every offensive snap, but they left him in 1-on-1 coverage on that play. He made them pay, breezing past the cornerback for an easy 54-yard touchdown.

“I’m not going to lie — I told my quarterback that on that play, I just needed the ball,” Pouncey told Blue & Gold after the game. “Throw it to me no matter what. And I made something happen.”

Creekside took a 20-10 lead into halftime.

“We weren’t playing to our standard in the first half,” Pouncey added. “I got on the boys at halftime, we made some adjustments, and we balled out in the second half.”

Winter Park trailed 23-17 with 4:42 left in the third quarter, but from there it was all Wildcats. Pouncey’s squad had a near-pick six and pounded in a score on the ensuing play to make lead for the first time on the night at 24-23.

On the next drive, Pouncey picked off a pass and took it the distance to give the Wildcats a 31-23 lead. The ball was thrown into the flats to Creekside’s tight end, but it was dropped and deflected into the air, and Pouncey reacted quickly.

He moved from safety to cornerback in the third quarter, a move that clearly paid off.

“They put their best receiver on the inside, so I figured it was going that way,” recalled Pouncey. “So, I didn’t backpedal too much, saw the ball come out, so I broke on it, and it came right to me.”

Another interception returned for a score by a different Winter Park defender gave the Wildcats a two-score lead late in the contest, and for good measure in garbage time, Pouncey had another pick-six — playing a free-roaming safety position.

“I followed the quarterback’s eyes, and he threw it right to me,” added Pouncey.

Pouncey finished the night with four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown, plus 7 tackles (one for loss) and the two interceptions returned for scores.

“I’m just happy that we came together as one and got the win,” he said.

Winter Park improved to 2-2 with the win.

Through four games, Pouncey has 16 catches for 381 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, he’s recorded 23 tackles (one for loss) and 5 interceptions, four of which he’s returned for scores.

Committed life going well for Pouncey

He committed to Notre Dame on April 26 over Miami, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, LSU and many others and hasn’t looked back.

“I’m blessed to be committed to such a prestigious university,” he said. “I’m happy to keep building those bonds with the other commits and coaching staff.”

Pouncey visited Notre Dame for the Texas A&M game on Sept. 13 and will return next month when the Irish host USC.

“That was my first game day visit there, and that was the best time I’ve had,” Pouncey said. “I got to sit with my brothers — all the commits were sitting with each other. We had a great time.”

Despite the Irish losing their first two games of the 2025 season, Pouncey’s commitment to Notre Dame couldn’t be any stronger. He fully plans to sign with the Fighting Irish in December.

“A couple schools have been hitting me up after the 0-2 start, but I’ve told them that I’m locked in,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere.

“I didn’t commit to Notre Dame because they were becoming one of the best teams in the country. I committed because I want to keep building on that, and I love the family atmosphere there, the coaches and other recruits. I want to make Notre Dame the top school in the country.”