After a ton of wide receiver recruiting issues previously, Notre Dame football and assistant coach Mike Brown found big answers for the 2026 class. With five commitments now in the group, this sits as one of the best pass catching classes the Fighting Irish have had in some time. It’s an exciting group. 

Upon request, and just for some fun, everyone loves player comparisons. I took the five wide receivers in the class, evaluated their film a little bit deeper, and did my best to find comparisons that fit their play styles best. Here are my top player comps for each. 

Kaydon Finley – Aledo (Texas) High School 

player comp: Puka Nacua (LA Rams) 

At right around 6-2 and 200 pounds already, Finley is going to be 210 pounds before you know it. He is a smooth athlete with good overall movement skills, but his physicality really stands out most. Aledo utilizes him in a lot of after catch opportunities, including the screen game and touch passes. Finley’s combination of power and explosiveness is a lot to handle in the open field. 

That is similar to what makes Puka Nacua so unique. Since coming out of BYU in the 2024 NFL Draft, Nacua has developed into one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. He is a headache to handle both before, during, and after the catch. 

Brayden Robinson – Red Oak (Texas) High School 

player comp: Wan’Dale Robinson (NY Giants)

Robinson is a smaller pass catcher, nearly identically sized to the former Nebraska star. Both players are also dynamite in space, possessing impressive field possession, short area quickness, and explosiveness to create big plays. The natural lack of size may limit upside to win down the field, or in a crowd, but the ability Robinson has after the catch is the huge selling point. 

Bubba Frazier – Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School

player comp: Zay Flowers (Baltimore Ravens)

When you first look at Frazier, you would assume he is a de facto gadget weapon. He very well can fulfill that role, but that is also underselling the upside that he brings to the table as a pure wide receiver. The same could have been said about Flowers, who has developed into a 1,000-yard threat on the NFL level. Both players are similarly sized players that bring an impressive combination of explosiveness, straight line speed, and after catch ability. 

Dylan Faison – Boca Raton (Fla.) St. Andrews School 

player comp: Demarcus Robinson (LA Rams) 

Faison, who is also an elite lacrosse player, boasts a very slender frame. His play strength still needs some major work, but his overall movement skills brings a really intriguing upside for development. He can lull defenders to sleep with his long strides, and win vertically. That is the role that Robinson has earned in the Rams offense. 

Devin Fitzgerald – Phoenix (Az.) Brophy Prep 

player comp: Elijah Sarratt (Indiana) 

It’s probably because Notre Dame saw Sarratt during their recent playoff run, and it is fresh on my mind, but his game is eerily similar to Fitzgerald’s. While neither is a great separator, they each have outstanding body control and ball skills to win in contested catch situations. That skill set isn’t as diverse as others, but it can be a very effective role for an offense. 

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