Elite safety JaDon Blair officially joins Notre Dame football on National Signing Day
On July 5, Notre Dame landed a massive commitment from Winston-Salem (N.J.) Mount Tabor safety JaDon Blair.
Blair’s recruiting journey was long. He narrowed his options to Florida State, Michigan, Louisville, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Blair had been a top target for the Notre Dame staff since offering him back in April 2023, and their efforts paid off when they got him to verbally commit.
And Blair didn’t look back after that. Other programs wanted to flip him, but he was steadfast in his Notre Dame commitment. On National Signing Day, the impressive prospect officially joined the Fighting Irish football family.
“From the beginning of the recruiting process when they offered me, I’ve heard from them consistently,” Blair told Blue & Gold back in the summer about his decision to pick the Irish. “It’s been every day, whether it’s from Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Mike] Mickens, Coach [Al] Golden or Chad Bowden.
“They’ve showed how much of a priority I am to them, even when they had other safety commits, and even though they got commitments from [defensive backs] Mark Zackery and Dallas Golden, they still wanted me. They view me as a missing piece to their program.”
Blair is an elite safety prospect. According to On3, he ranks as the nation’s No. 54 overall player and No. 4 safety.
The On3 Industry Ranking – a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting services – has him as the No. 125 player and No. 11 safety in America.
Blair had a strong 2023 season as a junior, posting 56 tackles (3 for loss), 4 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery and 3 forced fumbles. He played some wide receiver, too, and hauled in 10 passes for 255 yards with 6 touchdowns.
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He was named the 2023 Central Piedmont 4A Defensive Player of the Year and made it on the Winston-Salem Journal’s All-Area team. Blair was a third-team all-state performer according to the 2023 HighSchoolOT North Carolina All-State Football Team.
“I’m going to be the most hard-working person,” Blair said. “I’m a competitor at heart. I’m going to compete in every single thing I do. And I’m not talking about just football — in the classroom, or we could be bowling or playing laser tag. I just love to compete.
“Notre Dame is getting a true competitor at heart who is going to give it everything he’s got and will live up to and exceed expectations because that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life.”
As a senior, he posted 66 tackles, 3 pass breakups, 1 caused fumble and 2 interceptions, plus 22 receptions for 529 yards with 6 touchdowns on offense.
“He’s certainly the biggest safety among national prospects at the position,” On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power said of Blair. “He’s over 6-4 and 190 pounds with 33-inch arms. He has a big frame, and he’s going to continue to fill out. He’s younger for his class, just turning 17 years old [in July]. He has really fluid movement skills at that size and can play multiple safety spots in the secondary.
“Blair shows strong ability to cover and the physical edge he plays with — he’s a very willing tackler. He’s a guy who we project as a 210-pounder at safety who will maintain his athleticism and movement skills. It gives him a lot of versatility on the back end, and he’s a guy who will go into Notre Dame’s developmental program and will only get better and better. And he’s already a really good player. There’s a lot of upside with JaDon Blair.”
