Texas Misses on Son of Program Legend on Friday
In a stunning turn of events on July Fourth weekend, the Texas Longhorns football program suffered a significant recruiting blow as four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finely, son of Longhorns legend Jermichael Finley, committed to Notre Dame on Friday.
Advertisement
The announcement, made via a vibrant X post shared by Hayes Fawcett of On3, displayed an electrifying graphic of Finley in Fighting Irish gear, guitar in hand, against a backdrop of Notre Dame's stadium and fireworks.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Aledo, Texas Native chose the Irish over the Longhorns, the Texas A&M Aggies, and the Arizona State Sun Devils, declaring, "Let's bring a NATTY home IRISH nation," accompanied by a clover emoji.
Finley's decision stings particularly for the Longhorns, given his lineage. His father, a former standout at Texas, left behind a legacy that many thought would anchor Kaydon to Austin.
Instead, the Fighting Irish's rising recruiting prowess under head coach Marcus Freeman outshone the Longhorns' efforts.
Advertisement
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian after his team's loss to Ohio State in the 2025 Cotton BowlSara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Finley's impressive stats -- 1,423 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns in his junior year -- had made him a highly sought after recruit.
The X thread erupted with reactions, from Fighting Irish fans celebrating the massive coup for their program to Longhorns supporters lamenting the loss.
For a Fighting Irish program coming off a National Championship appearance under Freeman, securing the commitment of Finley represents a massive gain.
The Fighting Irish's brilliant recruiting efforts leave the Longhorns, a program known for landing some of the most premier football recruits over the years under head coach Steve Sarkisian, eager to regroup and reassess their strategy.
Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Reacts to Texas' Latest Commitment
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
32 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Spurs' Victor Wembanyama says he's been cleared to return following blood clot
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama expects to play this coming season and has been fully cleared after dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder for the last few months, he told the French newspaper L'Equipe in remarks published Monday. There was no immediate comment from the Spurs on the report. It has been expected that the team anticipated Wembanyama would be able to start this coming season, though there was no official word until now. 'I'm officially cleared to return. … I'll finally be able to play a bit of basketball again,' Wembanyama told the French sports daily. Wembanyama was the league's rookie of the year two years ago, and Spurs guard Stephon Castle won that same trophy this past season. Wembanyama was the front-runner to be defensive player of the year last season when he was diagnosed with the blood clot in his right shoulder in February. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists when he was shut down; the only other player in NBA history to finish a season averaging all that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76. Wembanyama has traveled extensively in recent months and spent time last month at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China. The temple is a place that welcomes visitors who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and more. ___ AP NBA:
New York Times
42 minutes ago
- New York Times
The Club World Cup entertainment sideshow: Doja Cat, Robbie Williams and a foretaste of 2026
Colombian singer J Balvin sat on the edge of what felt like the world's tallest stage as his song Mi Gente blared through the speakers for 81,118 spectators at the MetLife Stadium. FIFA's first-ever halftime show was officially underway, in all its chaotic and unapologetic glory. The grand finale of the Club World Cup on Sunday — the culmination of a month-long affair — saw Chelsea upend Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in a thrashing that, with head coach Enzo Maresca saying after the match that it was over 'in the first 10 minutes.' The team that felt unbeatable all year long was strategically undone. Advertisement Despite all that happened on the pitch, including Joao Neves' hair pull or Luis Enrique's emotional outburst, one of the main takeaways from the final was the surrounding fanfare: the military flyover, the pre-game celebration and, yes, the president of the United States crashing Chelsea's trophy lift. It's safe to assume most of what we saw at MetLife will be similar to what FIFA, the sport's global governing body, has in store for next year, when the 2026 World Cup finally kicks off across the U.S., Mexico and Canada after nearly a decade of anticipation. That will include a halftime show for the first time ever at the World Cup. As perhaps a preview for what to expect, the Club World Cup halftime show, which co-starred J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and surprise guests Coldplay with Emmanuel Kelly, lasted just under 11 minutes. On television, it was an attractive ensemble of performers with the New York City skyline as a backdrop, juxtaposed with the American Dream mega mall and its Ferris wheel. In person, however, the show wasn't so polished. The stage, as impressive a feat as it was to create, felt too far away. From across the stadium, it was hard to see with the naked eye that Coldplay was on stage with Kelly. It was also hard to ignore the sprinklers dousing the pitch before the second half, employees scrambling to do some quick maintenance, and the steady stream of fans leaving their seats for the concourse mid-performance. Like a lot of the Club World Cup, the halftime show felt made for TV rather than those in the stadium. That's not to say the halftime show was not entertaining. It was. It also seems to have accomplished exactly what FIFA intended: it gave viewers and fans in the stadium entertainment, albeit brief, as FIFA took a page from the NFL and American sports' entertainment playbook. FIFA even announced that Panini America, a collectibles company and one of FIFA's longstanding sponsors, was a late 'partner' for the halftime show just one and a half hours before kickoff. While it's a far cry from the profitability and success of the NFL's Super Bowl halftime show, for FIFA, it seems a small step toward that goal. Advertisement The halftime show was only part of the entertainment FIFA delivered at the final, in its attempts to assimilate with American professional sports culture. The match was prefaced with a 20-minute intro: a performance of FIFA's official anthem Desire by Robbie Williams and Laura Pausini; American announcer Michael Buffer yelling his iconic line 'Let's get ready to rumble!'; and a tribute to America that included the singing of the national anthem, pyrotechnics and a military flyover. There was also a giant, inflatable replica of the Club World Cup trophy pushed around the pitch. Expect things to be even more over-the-top next year at the World Cup. At Sunday's final, On Location, the official hospitality provider of the 2026 World Cup, gave journalists a sample of the kind of extra experiences they will offer fans next year. The preview started with a tour of the pitch then a chance to sit and take photos from PSG's bench a few hours before the team would be there themselves. On Location president Paul Caine said experiences like these are just an example of what they and FIFA have planned for fans in 2026. 'We're not just selling tickets. We're selling experiences,' Caine said. Heimo Schirgi, COO for FIFA World Cup 26, said, 'We're transforming from a sports governing body into an entertainment company, and also an experiential company.' On Monday, On Location released hospitality packages for all 16 stadiums in the 2026 World Cup, with prices for single-match options starting at $1,350 per person. An 18-person suite, like the one On Location staged at the Club World Cup final, had a balcony area that directly faced the center of the pitch, with a prime view of the halftime show. The halftime show at the Club World Cup was hosted in the rafters rather than the pitch, which eliminated the need to set up and dismantle a stage on the pitch, as is generally done during Super Bowls. Though even with the show happening in the rafters, the halftime still lasted over 20 minutes. FIFA rules cap halftime at 15 minutes. Despite the new experiences for soccer fans, the halftime show did bring to mind a previous FIFA event, the 2023 Women's World Cup in Sydney, where organizers blasted Coldplay's Sky Full of Stars during halftimes. As the music played, fans shone their cellphone lights and there would be light shows inside the venues that went with the music. Advertisement On Sunday, the voices of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, who curated the halftime show, and Kelly echoed through MetLife Stadium in a similar way – but instead of a light show, fans had daytime fireworks and a stage that changed colors to the music. In FIFA's own way, it felt like a slice of its authentic identity hidden between everything else it tried to do.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Playing Golf To Win A Month-Long Cruise
Crystal Cup Golf Qualifier My golf game is in such disarray right now that I'm reluctant to even play in a dollar skins game with my buddies – let alone anything with a higher stake. But I couldn't pass up a recent invitation to play in the Crystal Cup Qualifier at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, Calif. That's because the grand prize for this event – presented by Crystal Cruises in collaboration with Troon golf management company – would be a 29-night, ultra-luxury cruise from Singapore to Tokyo aboard the Crystal Symphony. Even the runner-up prizes were you, it would be a multi-step process to get that point – winning both the regional event I played in, as well as the upcoming two-round final at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Ga. slated for Oct. 23-26. Let me spare you the suspense: My friend and I did not win the two-man team event. But we had a great time along the way and met some really nice knew we were a bit out of our element when, while driving to the first tee, we were stopped by one of the tournament reps who insisted we download the Golf Genius phone app to keep score. No one in our group had that app on our phone. My friend scurried to download it, but then the app takes you to a website that requires you to fill out a detailed form and establish an account. By the time we reached the first green, there was no cell phone reception to complete the process. Regardless, no one in our group tried to reconnect for the rest of the round. It was a bit of distraction as well discussed it for a few holes. Yet the event officials wound up accepting our handwritten scorecards, anyway, after we walked off 18. So I'm still not sure what all the fuss was I forgot how when you're playing in an official event like this one, every shot counts. Suddenly those tap-ins look a whole bunch longer. So of course we wound up taking a little more time standing over each shot. One group finished considerably lower than everyone else – six shots superior, in fact – to claim the event and a $1,000 Crystal Cruises voucher. But we had a great time playing this beautiful Arnold Palmer design just north of San Diego, on what was a perfect warm summer qualifying tournament I played in was open solely to amateur golfers. And there are 12 other qualifying tournaments being played across the country throughout the summer, including at Tobacco Road Golf Club in Sanford, N.C. on Aug. 19, and the renowned La Cantera Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas on Aug. 26. Ten qualifiers will be held at private clubs across the country. In total, 940 teams and 1,880 players are expected to compete in Crystal Cup Crystal Cup Finale will be attended by Ryder Cup European team captain Luke Donald and Solheim Cup winner Lexi Thompson, who are serving as official Crystal Cup ambassadors.
