Irish legacy, top 150 recruit James Flanigan commits to Notre Dame football

Irish bloodlines have bore fruit for the Notre Dame football program once again. On Saturday, class of 2025 four-star tight end James Flanigan announced his verbal commitment in favor of the Fighting Irish. 

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Flanigan is the No. 126 overall player and No. 4 tight end in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He is also the No. 2 prospect in Wisconsin. 

Flanigan follows 2024 class four-star EDGE Bryce Young, the son of former Notre Dame All-American defensive lineman Bryant Young, as an Irish legacy commit in back-to-back recruiting classes. The elder Young had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career after the 49ers selected him with the seventh pick in the 1994 draft. Bryce Young of Charlotte (N.C.) Christian is the No. 129 overall player, No. 9 EDGE nationally and No. 3 prospect in North Carolina in 2024, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Flanigan’s father, Jim Flanigan, starred for the Irish defensive line in the early 1990s. After the Bears drafted him at No. 74 overall in the same draft, the elder Flanigan went on to have a nine-year NFL career. He won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2000.

After his professional playing career, Jim Flanigan settled in Green Bay, Wisc. The younger Flanigan resides in Wisconsin and attends Notre Dame de la Baie Academy, about 1.5 miles from Lambeau Field. His college football recruitment began last fall when he visited Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

On Jan. 28, the Badgers became the first school to offer Flanigan a scholarship following an unofficial visit. On March 17, Notre Dame was the second. The Irish offered him during their Pot of Gold Day campaign on March 17. Sixty-four other recruits reported Notre Dame offers during the St. Patrick’s Day-themed recruiting event, including four tight ends. 

The Irish accepted a verbal commitment from Washington (Okla.) High tight end Nate Roberts on June 17. However, the fringe top 100 recruit backed off his pledge less than two months later. During the summer, Notre Dame reclassified Flanigan as an “athlete” prospect. It began recruiting him as an EDGE rusher in addition to tight end. 

“I’m their number one guy at tight end and D-end,” Flanigan told Blue & Gold during a stop at his high school in late August. 

Flanigan paid his fourth unofficial college recruiting visit — more than any other school — to South Bend on Oct. 14 for the Southern California game. Although the Irish would happily explore him remaining an EDGE rusher, they most recently hosted Flanigan as a tight end target. Flanigan intends to begin training at tight end when he enrolls at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame also welcomed EDGE targets Dominik Hulak and Damien Shanklin to campus for the USC game. Hulak is the No. 444 overall player and No. 43 linebacker nationally, while Shanklin is the country’s No. 232 player and No. 20 EDGE. 

A timeline of Flanigan’s Notre Dame football recruitment

Flanigan first visited Notre Dame on March 25, five days after he picked up his offer. Since then, he has returned to campus for most major recruiting events. He attended the Blue-Gold Game on April 22 and the “grill & chill” cookout on July 30.

He chose to visit Notre Dame for the USC game on Oct. 14, which marked the first time Flanigan saw a regular season game at Notre Dame Stadium. Flanigan also visited Michigan and Stanford on 2023 game days, but his return trip to South Bend was unmatched.

“It was craziness because we were sitting probably in the second row from the field,” he told Blue & Gold on Oct. 13. “There were touchdowns right in front of us. Then, looking up in the student section, they were doing pushups. It was actually wild.” 

In 2022, Flanigan attended Minnesota and Wisconsin for game day visits. He also reported an unofficial visit to Penn State and offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville and Missouri. The Badgers hosted him three times total, while he also made previous trips to Stanford and Michigan.

The Flanigan File

As a junior, Flanigan has caught 17 passes for 377 yards (22.2 yards per catch) and 6 touchdowns in eight regular season games. He also assists as a middle linebacker on defense, registering 39 tackles (21 solo), 5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He also has an interception and 2 forced fumbles.

On Thursday, the Fox River Classic Conference-South named Flanigan a first-team all-conference tight end and linebacker. He also earned those honors last year (second-team as a linebacker) while reeling in conference Receiver of The Year and All-Region tight end accolades. As a sophomore, he hauled in 22 passes for 520 yards and 9 touchdowns. On defense, he registered 66 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 3 sacks last season. He was second-team all-conference as a linebacker.

During the spring of his sophomore year, he won the Wisconsin Division II state championship in the discus throw with a personal record 177-foot, 10-inch mark. He finished second in the state championship shot put competition with a 52-foot, 7¼-inch toss. That was also a personal record.

He has also helped guide his school to a state championship title in hockey as an exceptional player. Flanigan scored 13 goals and had 19 assists in 22 games. He also played AAA travel hockey, comparable to the top AAU basketball competition.