Four-star LB, NFL legacy recruit Thomas Davis Jr. commits to Notre Dame football

The Notre Dame football program has secured its first commitment on the defensive side of the ball in the 2026 cycle. On Tuesday, Matthews (N.C.) Weddington four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. pledged to the Fighting Irish.

“It felt like home,” Davis told On3 vice president of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong. “The three visits I’ve been on, they welcomed me, and they have a plan developing players on and off the field, and it’s a great program overall.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Davis visited for last Saturday’s Florida State game. The Irish made a big move in his recruitment, leading to his Tuesday announcement.

“I’m very interested in Notre Dame, and they are pretty high on my list,” Davis told On3 director of recruiting Chad Simmons. “The constant communication and relationships I’ve created with the staff keeps me going back to Notre Dame.”

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Davis is the No. 167 overall player, No. 14 linebacker nationally and No. 10 prospect in North Carolina in the 2026 class. He reported scholarship offers from 26 other Power Four programs, including Ohio State, Oregon and Tennessee.

Before his trip to South Bend on Saturday, Davis visited for spring practice on April 3 and the program’s Grill and Chill recruiting event on July 26. During his recruitment, he reported visits to NC State, Georgia, South Carolina, Miami, Southern Cal, UCLA, Ohio State, Clemson, Oregon and Michigan. Of those schools, Kirby Smart‘s Bulldogs program was the only one that did not offer him a scholarship.

He is the son of former NFL linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. The elder Davis played for Georgia before playing 16 years in the NFL for the Panthers, Chargers and Washington Football Team. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2015.

New Notre Dame commit Thomas Davis Jr. more than just another NFL legacy recruit

Under coach Marcus Freeman and general manager Chad Bowden, the Irish have had much success recruiting the sons of former NFL players.

Since they joined the program in 2021 as defensive coordinator and defensive director of recruiting, respectively, the Fighting Irish have signed three high school prospects who are the sons of NFL players: cornerback Benjamin Morrison (Darryl Morrison), safety Kennedy Urlacher (Brian Urlacher) and EDGE Bryce Young (Bryant Young).

In this year’s transfer portal cycle, they added two more: defensive back Jordan Clark (Ryan Clark) and defensive lineman RJ Oben (Roman Oben). The elder Oben played with the father of Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III — Howard Cross Jr. — for four seasons (1996-99) on the New York Giants.

Then, the elder Clark’s connections from his Steelers days bleed into Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class, where the Irish have five notable NFL legacy prospects verbally commits.

Ryan Clark played with wide receiver commit Elijah Burress’ father, Plaxico Burress, in Pittsburgh from 2012-13. The elder Burress also was on the same Steelers team as Jerome Bettis, the father of wide receiver pledge Jerome Bettis Jr., from 2000-04.

Then, there are 2025 commits James Flanigan (Jim Flanigan), linebacker Anthony Sacca (Tony Sacca) and Gordy Sulfsted (Alex Sulfsted), whose fathers also spent multiple years in the NFL. Even safety JaDon Blair’s father, Ja’Warren Blair, had short stints with the Bengals and Browns.

But in Davis’ recruitment, him being an NFL legacy recruit was just a coincidence in his Notre Dame commitment.

“The biggest thing with TJ is he obviously appreciates where he comes from and who his dad is, but he wants to create his own path,” Weddington coach Andy Capone told Blue & Gold on Aug. 15. “He’s always been about TJ creating his own path and not using his dad’s name or who his dad is to get whatever he wants. … 

“He wants to create his own legacy.”