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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame
Son of Texas Legend Throws Longhorns Hat on Ground Before Committing to Notre Dame originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas Longhorns fans went into Friday hoping to make three monster splashes on the recruiting trail only to be spurned twice. Advertisement Starting with the positive, the Longhorns were able to secure a commitment from the nation's No. 2 interior offensive lineman, John Turntine III. According to 247Sports, Turntine ranks as the No. 53 player in the country and the No. 7 player in the State of Texas, giving Texas six top-100 recruits. As for the not-so-positive, the Longhorns missed out on the No. 1 offensive tackle in the class in Felix Ojo at the last minute, as Texas Tech came swooping in with an offer that will see him earn as much as $5.1 million to be a Red Raider. While that one stings, it may not hurt as badly as missing out on the son of program legend Jermichael Finley, Kaydon Finley. The younger Finley even toyed with Texas fans, before eventually revealing he was committing to Notre Dame. Advertisement As seen during his commitment, the Aledo product picked up the Texas hat from the table and nearly put it on before tossing it to the ground. He then picked up Notre Dame's hat and revealed his pledge to Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. It is certainly a massive addition for Notre Dame, which now has the No. 3 class in the country, according to 247Sports. Finley also marks the second in-state recruit that Notre Dame beat Texas out for, as the Longhorns were also in the mix for four-star running back Javian Osborne for the majority of his recruitment. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Miron-USA TODAY Sports If there was a silver lining for Texas when it comes to missing on Finley, it'd have to be the fact that they brought in an elite group of receivers last cycle. They brought in two five-stars in Jaime Ffrench and Kaliq Lockett, while also landing the nation's No. 1 athlete, Michael Terry III. Advertisement Losing Finley may sting because of his father's connection to the program, but Texas has put together top classes seemingly every year under Sarkisian, so it's safe to say they'll live. Related: Nation's No. 1 QB Names College Football Powerhouse He Envisions Himself Playing At This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas Misses on Son of Program Legend on Friday
Texas Misses on Son of Program Legend on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. 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.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Elite Wide Receiver Kaydon Finley Commits To Notre Dame
Elite Wide Receiver Kaydon Finley Commits To Notre Dame originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Notre Dame has landed one of its most important commitments in the 2026 cycle with Texas wide receiver Kaydon Finley pledging to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out Texas and Texas A&M among many others to land this Aledo (Texas) High School standout. Advertisement Finley has been a priority target for Notre Dame throughout the 2026 recruiting cycle. Landing a top receiver in the 2026 class was incredibly important for Notre Dame, who identified Finley as a must-get player very early on. Landing him has been a battle against Texas, but in the end receivers coach Mike Brown and the Irish staff got the job done. Listed at 6-1 and 200 pounds, Finley has the size to play either outside or the slot. He's a strong athlete that can make plays after the catch and he has enough speed to make plays down the field. Finley is an advanced route runner with an excellent feel for the game and his ball skills are top notch. He could thrive in the slot in a role similar to Jaden Greathouse, but I like how his route running, ball skills and athletic talent project outside even more. He plays all over the field for Aledo, dominating from the inside and outside. That versatility gives Finley a chance to push for playing time at all three receiver positions in the Irish offense. Join the Notre Dame Champions Lounge for the latest intel and analysis of the Fighting Irish! As a junior, Finley was dominant for an Aledo squad that went 12-2 and advanced to the state semifinals. Finley finished his junior season with 81 catches for 1,432 yards (17.7 yards per catch) and 21 touchdowns. He was outstanding in the postseason, racking up 25 catches for 429 yards (17.2 YPC) and seven touchdowns. Finley finished his junior season with nine games of 100 receiving yards or more and he had seven games with multiple touchdown receptions. Advertisement Finley is ranked as a Top 100 recruit on the Irish Breakdown board and he earned a 4.5-star upside grade (Top 75 caliber recruit). He is ranked as the nation's No. 93 overall player by Rivals. The Aledo standout earned offers from the Irish, Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, Miami (Fla.), Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, Louisville, TCU, UCLA, Arkansas, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Colorado, Stanford and California. Finley is the 23rd player to commit to Notre Dame. He joins Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Texas running backs Javian Osborne, Georgia running back Jonaz Walton, Faison and Frazier at wide receiver, Kansas tight end Ian Premer, Ohio tight end Preston Fryzel, Pennsylvania offensive linemen Tyler Merrill and Grayson McKeogh, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin, Connecticut offensive lineman Charlie Thom, North Carolina ends Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham, Texas defensive tackle Tiki Hola, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., Ohio linebacker Jakobe Clapper, Pennsylvania defensive back Joey O'Brien Florida cornerback Ayden Pouncey, Maryland cornerback Khary Adams and Tennessee cornerback Chaston Smith. Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge Advertisement Irish Breakdown Content 2025 Scholarship Chart 2025 Football Schedule Notre Dame 2026 Commits Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense 2025 Commit Rankings - Defense 2024 Recruiting Class 2023 Recruiting Class 2022 Recruiting Class ——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community! Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178 Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame lands wide receiver Kaydon Finley
Wide receiver Kaydon Finley, the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, has committed to Notre Dame today. Finley was a key Notre Dame target along with WR Devin Fitzgerald, the son of former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and fellow receiver Brayden Robinson. Advertisement Finley is out of Aledo, Texas, and stands six-foot-tall, weighing 200 pounds. He had been deciding between Notre Dame and Texas. He had 81 receptions for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024, averaging 17.7 yards per catch. He has a four-star rating from 247Sports. The Fighting Irish have been racking up commitments this offseason, and Finley could play a big part in the Irish continuing to be a playoff contender. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey Advertisement This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame gets a commit from wide receiver Kaydon Finley
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texas A&M Football Awaits Class of 2026 Elite Four-Star Wide Receiver Kaydon Finley Commitment Decision
Texas A&M Football Awaits Class of 2026 Elite Four-Star Wide Receiver Kaydon Finley Commitment Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Texas A&M football has the No. 4 overall recruiting class of 2026, but head coach Mike Elko isn't done yet. The Aggies are looking to pull in another four-star recruit to enhance the batch, and they're up against another familiar face in this battle. Advertisement The Texas Longhorns fell to Texas A&M with Aggie four-star commits KJ Edwards and Aaron Gregory. Texas attempted to flip Gregory from its in-state rival, but was unsuccessful. Line of scrimmage during the first half between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Texas Lysaker-Imagn Images Kaydon Finley from Aledo, Tex. is the No. 110 overall recruit, No. 14 wide receiver, and No. 15 student-athlete out of Texas. He's also the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley. Out of his 36 total offers, Finley narrowed his choices down to the Aggies, Longhorns, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While it seems Notre Dame has the upper hand on this battle, no team can be counted out, especially given the proximity advantage that Texas A&M and Texas have. Advertisement After losing out on another four-star wide receiver, Legend Bey, to Tennessee, Finley is another opportunity for the Aggies to land an elite wideout. Just as a freshman in high school, he tallied 25 receptions for 417 yards and six touchdowns. In his most recent season in Aledo, Finley had 81 receptions for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns. This included nine 100-plus yard games. Texas A&M currently has wide receiver commits Gregory, Madden Williams, and Mike Brown. Five-star Brandon Arrington is a two-way player who is projected to play cornerback in college, but he can also play wide receiver. Notre Dame and Texas have two wideout commits already as well, so competition within the position will be there no matter which school he chooses. If the Aggies land this wideout, the four-star trio of Gregory, Williams, and Finley would be an extreme win for them. Versatility in Finley's game will also be a huge advantage for Texas A&M on the field alongside Gregory and Williams' talents. Gabe Brooks wrote in his scouting report on Finley: "Massively productive receiver with a solid, sturdy build . . . and gifted with big hands. Strong football pedigree . . . Know-how shows in route-running acumen, in-the-air ability, and run-after-catch toughness . . . Physical pass catcher who transfers that play style to RAC situations. Still developing more juice at the top end, but initial juice consistently eats up cushion to get on top of DBs. Capable of playing outside or in the slot. Could potentially excel as a short-to-intermediate chain mover who can break chunk plays with that aforementioned RAC ability. Build and run strength suggest possible wildcat option if desired." Advertisement Finley is set to make his decision on Friday, July 4 between 6:30-7 p.m. Related: Two Aggies Selected To Prestigious Walter Camp Preseason FBS All-America Teams Related: Texas A&M Football Wins Big With Overall Class of 2026 Recruitment in June This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
