On3's Steve Wiltfong logs prediction for Notre Dame to land son of NFL legend

On Monday, Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer logged a prediction for Notre Dame to land four-star Phoenix Brophy College Prep wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald. One day later, On3 vice president of national college football recruiting Steve Wiltfong did the same.

Wiltfong picked Notre Dame to land Fitzgerald, who is the son of NFL legend and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. The younger Fitzgerald officially visited South Bend this past weekend.

“South Bend had a great energy to it,” Fitzgerald told Wiltfong. “You could feel how much the program means to the people there. The environment was all about brotherhood a very tight-knit group, focused, and built on real relationships.

“What continues to excite me most about the opportunity to play for [head] coach [Marcus] Freeman and the Irish is how it’s bigger than just football. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself on and off the field, and being part of something special. The coaches have a clear vision, and I can really see myself thriving in that culture.”

Devin Fitzgerald is the No. 516 player and No. 81 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Ranking. Rivals is the only recruiting service that currently rates him as a four-star prospect.

Fitzgerald’s commitment date is set for July 5. He received an offer from Notre Dame on May 8.

“I’ve been trying to get the offer for a while,” Fitzgerald told Blue & Gold. “It’s definitely exciting and relieving to get the offer I’ve been trying to get for a while. It means a lot. But I still have work to do.”

Despite the relatively recent offer, Fitzgerald has been on Notre Dame’s radar for over a year. He comes from the same school that produced Irish freshman cornerback Cree Thomas, a 2025 class recruit. When the Irish would go to Brophy College Prep to check in on Thomas, they would also keep tabs on Fitzgerald.

In addition to Fitzgerald and Thomas, the Irish have recruited Brophy before. In 2022, they signed four-star cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who developed into a second-round NFL Draft pick in three years in South Bend. 

Fitzgerald’s dad, Larry, played 17 years in the NFL, all with the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his career as the NFL’s second all-time leading receiver with 17,492 yards, behind only Jerry Rice. There is a greater distance between Fitzgerald and No. 3 on the all-time receiving list, Terrell Owens, than there is between Owens and No. 9, Marvin Harrison.

Fitzgerald is a College Football Hall of Famer, earning first-team All-American honors and finishing second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2003 at Pittsburgh. He is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026, and he is widely expected to get in on first ballot.