Four-star WR Jaden Greathouse commits to Notre Dame football over Texas, Oklahoma

Austin (Texas) Westlake class of 2023 wide receiver Jaden Greathouse has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, picking the Fighting Irish over finalists Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

Landing Greathouse is big news for the Irish because he gives Notre Dame three receiver commitments in the 2023 class — a position the staff desperately needed to do well at in the cycle. And Greathouse is one of the best nationally, ranking as the No. 21 wideout and No. 128 overall prospect in the land per the On3 Consensus.

“The main reason why I chose Notre Dame was because of the degree,” Greathouse told Blue & Gold before going public with his choice. “It’s one of the best in the country, and the football is great too. They were No. 5 in the country last year, and I really believe in what Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach (Chansi) Stuckey and Coach (Tommy) Rees are doing. I’m super excited for what they have going on. I want to be a part of something like that.”

Freeman, Rees and Stuckey were all key figures in Greathouse choosing the Fighting Irish, selling him on what Notre Dame can do for him on and off the field. Greathouse added his scholarship offer from the Irish a few weeks after Freeman was named Notre Dame’s head coach, and the staff went after Greathouse hard.

“Extremely important,” Greathouse said of the staff in his commitment. “I have a great relationship with all the coaches. We talk every day. They were really about me from the start.

“From the get-go, they were super adamant about me and really wanted me. They kept in constant communication every single day. They really showed that they care.”

Greathouse informed Stuckey during his official visit to Notre Dame June 17-19 that he would be committing to the Irish. He announced his decision about a month later after dotting I’s and crossing T’s.

“I told him that this was the place I wanted to be and where I can succeed in life,” Greathouse said.

Texas invasion at Notre Dame

The Irish currently have a three-man receiver class that consists of Greathouse, Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point’s Braylon James and Folsom (Calif.) High’s Rico Flores Jr.

Greathouse is Notre Dame’s 20th commitment of the class and the fourth from Texas, joining James, Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen and Houston The Kinkaid School cornerback Micah Bell.

“Braylon and I are really good friends,” Greathouse said. “We talk every day. I also talk with Peyton Bowen; we’re good friends. I think we’re going to be the next Wide Receiver U. in college football.”

Could Notre Dame make it five in the class from Texas? The Irish could sign its best class in a decade in this cycle, but there’s a glaring need for a quarterback. Notre Dame recently offered Dripping Springs (Texas) High’s Austin Novosad, a Baylor commit. Greathouse, James and Novosad are all from the Austin area as well.

“We went to middle school together,” Greathouse said of Novosad. “I’ve been on him a little bit already. We’re trying to get him to switch.”

Flores, Greathouse and James all have the ability to play early in their respective Notre Dame careers, considering their talent and the lack of depth in the Irish receiver room. Greathouse, who stands at 6-2, 219 pounds, has big plans for his first college season.

“I definitely plan on trying to win a starting spot my freshman year,” he said. “I’m going to graduate early, which will give me a better chance for that. I’ll hopefully be able to ball out in the spring game and get ready for the upcoming season.”

The Texas Longhorns offered Greathouse nearly two years before Notre Dame did, and there was a lot of local pull for him to stay close to home. But as Lou Holtz once said, “Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary.”

“I have a lot of people in my ear saying to stay close and go to Texas or Oklahoma, but I’m definitely excited for this experience and I can’t wait to get up to Notre Dame,” Greathouse added.

Greathouse has strong relationships with the other programs in his final four list and may keep in contact with some of those coaches, but he plans to remain solid in his pledge and sign with the Irish in December.

“As far as my recruitment goes, I don’t plan on keeping it open,” he said. “I’m 100 percent all for Notre Dame.”

The Jaden Greathouse file

In helping lead Westlake to a 16-0 record in 2021, Greathouse caught 66 passes for 1,274 yards with 20 touchdowns. The Chaparrals captured the Texas 6A Division II state championship, and Greathouse caught 7 passes for 236 yards and 3 scores in the 40-21 triumph over Denton (Texas) Guyer.

He was named MVP of the state title game and holds every major receiving record at Westlake High. He set the record for most receiving yards in a Texas 6A state championship game.

Through three seasons (46 total) games, Greathouse has snagged 182 passes for 3,134 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Greathouse was named to the 2021 MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America Team.

For his efforts as a sophomore, Greathouse made MaxPreps’ 2020 Texas All-State High School Football Team and 2020 High School Football Sophomore All-America Team. He was also on the MaxPreps 2019 Football Freshmen All-American Team.

Greathouse was also a key part of the Westlake basketball team that had a 38-2 record, falling in the 6A state semifinals.

Along with his top four, Greathouse also held offers from Penn State, USC, Oregon, Baylor and Michigan.

Greathouse has an NIL Valuation of $128,000, which slots him at No. 109 in the high school football NIL rankings. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.