On his own path: Why Jaiden Ausberry turned down 'big numbers' to stay at Notre Dame

If Jaiden Ausberry wanted to go home, he would’ve done it a long time ago.

Home, by birth and where his family still resides, is Baton Rouge, La. Red Stick. The Bayou. Tigerland. Home of Louisiana State University.

Jaiden’s father, Verge, played linebacker for LSU from 1987-89. He’s been employed by the institution for 24 years and has been the executive deputy director of athletics since 2019. Jaiden’s older brother, Austin, is on the Tigers’ current roster as a defensive back.

In the Ausberry household, everything comes up purple and gold. But for Jaiden, since he enrolled at Notre Dame ahead of the 2023 season, it’s always been blue and gold. And even in the name, image and likeness and transfer portal era, he hasn’t ever wavered on that.

“Last year, a lot of people came after him,” Verge told Blue & Gold Illustrated in relation to the transfer portal. “Big numbers came after him. But like I told him, we’re not making a decision about numbers now. Your education is an important thing.”

The education. The people. The place. There’s only one Notre Dame.

Jaiden had scholarship offers from a plethora of other programs, from LSU to other SEC staples like Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee, amongst others. None of them had the pulling power of the Fighting Irish.

So, instead of staying close to home, he chose to uproot everything he’d ever known in Louisiana and move nearly 1,000 miles away to South Bend because, when it finally came time to sign his national letter of intent, he couldn’t imagine spending his student-athlete experience anywhere else.

South Bend is home now.

“Everybody around here, the staff, coaches, the players, just the culture around here, the brotherhood that we got — I love being here,” Jaiden said. “I love coming here every day, working with the guys, working with my teammates. It’s just a great, positive, healthy vibe around here.”

‘Very, Very Special’

It wasn’t always Notre Dame and nowhere else for Jaiden.

Verge remembers when his son was set on committing to Ohio State. He also entertained a late recruiting push from Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, and from Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher, with whom Verge has an established relationship through their careers crossing over at LSU. Dan Lanning and Oregon made an impression with the clock close to striking midnight as well.

The thing for Jaiden was, none of the fancy facilities or bells and whistles those schools showered over him in anticipation of his signature were of any importance in his recruitment. He’d seen everything that could ever impress on that front being around LSU from the day he was born.

“You couldn’t offer him anything, like, ‘We’re going to give you this here,’” Verge said. “The thing for him was, ‘What are you going to do for me after football is over?’”

Notre Dame’s “4 for 40” isn’t just some tag line. It’s real. Jaiden knows that first-hand. Michael Haywood, Jaiden’s godfather, is a former Notre Dame wide receiver. He translated that into a college coaching career that spanned three decades. Rod West, who Verge describes as “like an uncle” to Jaiden, is a 1988 Notre Dame national champion and longtime member of the university’s board of trustees. Those are the South Bend success stories Jaiden is drawn to, even as someone who spent time learning first-hand from LSU greats such as Tyrann Mathieu, Devin White and Jamal Adams.

“Jaiden grew up around first-rounders his whole life,” Verge said.

Jaiden is graduating with a degree in finance this coming spring. Last year, he was highlighted by the university’s player development program, TransceND, which is an organization designed to help Irish student-athletes reach their full potential, find their purpose and achieve lifelong prosperity.

All of that is right up Jaiden’s alley.

“Notre Dame is very special,” Verge said. “We all know that, especially academically. The things you can come into with a Notre Dame degree are very, very special.”

‘So Well-Grounded’

Of course, the on-field fit is of importance as well. So far, so good.

Jaiden broke in as a special teamer as a true freshman and retained a year of eligibility via a redshirt season. He broke out as a regular staple for the Notre Dame defense as a sophomore, totaling the fifth-most tackles of anyone on the team. In the first three games of his junior year, his usage went up every week, from 30 defensive snaps at Miami to 36 vs. Texas A&M and 38 versus Purdue. He played 33 vs. Arkansas.

He hasn’t ever been the biggest name in the Notre Dame linebacking corps. That title has been passed from JD Bertrand to Jack Kiser to Drayk Bowen in Jaiden’s time with the team. But he hasn’t ever been an afterthought, either.

Far from it.

“He is as consistent as anyone in our program,” head coach Marcus Freeman said. “He constantly gets his job done. He’s always looking for ways to improve. He practices hard at a high level.”

Baton Rouge University Lab School head coach Andy Martin knew that’s exactly what Freeman was going to get in Jaiden. He saw it from the moment he first stepped onto the field as a freshman. And by the time Jaiden finished his high school career, he was a 2022 Under Armour All-American, a Butkus Award finalist in that same year and University Lab’s all-time leading tackler.

Martin said Jaiden’s combination of athleticism and football intelligence makes him a must-have type of player for any team with serious championship aspirations. Jaiden led University Lab to a state title in 2021. He dang near won it all with Notre Dame in January.

“He’s so well-grounded,” Martin said. “He’s such a hard worker. Great kid. And such a great football player in terms of IQ and ability. He can diagnose things really quickly, which is a big thing for him.

“I tell Verge all the time, he’s an NFL linebacker. He’s what they’re looking for in that linebacker/safety spot. He really is, with his ability and speed and the way he can play. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

The Value Of Notre Dame

Notre Dame probably still hasn’t seen the best of Jaiden yet. That’s enticing because the best of a lot of players in his position, being miles and miles away from home with a chance to perhaps receive even more playing time somewhere else, generally does end up occurring somewhere else.

Heck, even Jaiden’s brother transferred from Auburn to LSU. Jaiden had big bro’s back in that situation. Everything the duo does for each other is in the other’s best interest.

“We talk every day,” Jaiden said. “That’s my best friend. That’s my blood. He really is my biggest motivator other than God and my family because he’s the reason why I’m in the position I am today. He’s always pushing me. I watch film with him as well and he’s the one who keeps it real with me the most. He’s going to tell me when I’m doing good, when I’m doing bad.

“The thing about him, he’s never going to let me get complacent, and that’s what I like most about him. He’s always going to keep it real with me and always push me to get better. And I’m always there for him. I always keep it real with him, always keep it the truth. That’s my brother, so that’s what we’re supposed to do for each other.”

It all comes back to Austin having never needed to have the tough talk with Jaiden about the transfer portal, though. Verge said Notre Dame did enough to fend off his suitors, and that was that. Plus, it really would be that difficult for Jaiden to ever leave with any ounce of eligibility remaining or to put on any other program’s jersey before he dives into what he hopes is an NFL journey.

In his mind, South Bend has always been the one-stop shop to get him there.

“He understands the value of Notre Dame and the things this place provides you outside of football,” Freeman said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with what he’s done in his time here — the consistent football player he’s been and how much he’s improved.

“He could be a guy that says, ‘I can go transfer and maybe play more,’ but he understands his role with this team, and he makes the most of it. He’s definitely a guy that we are grateful to have in this program.”