Notre Dame football is predicted to land an elite playmaker in the 2028 recruiting class over some big-time suitors
Notre Dame appears to be the frontrunner for one of the top playmakers in the 2028 recruiting class. They are the predicted favorite.
Notre Dame football is already making waves in the 2028 recruiting class, and the Fighting Irish appear to be in a strong position for one of the top running backs in the country.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff have been recruiting at an all-time level, and the early returns for the 2028 cycle suggest that momentum is only building. Things are trending in a great direction with elite Louisville (Miss.) High School running back Zaiden Jernigan, a dynamic playmaker who has been on Notre Dame’s radar for quite some time.
Rivals analyst calls his shot on Jernigan
Rivals national recruiting analyst Chad Simmons put out a piece on Wednesday calling his shot on some early 2028 recruits and where he thinks they could end up landing. Jernigan was a part of that piece, and Simmons predicted the 5-10.5, 195-pound runner to land with the Fighting Irish, with the Oklahoma Sooners being the biggest contender outside of Notre Dame for the time being.
Simmons talked a lot about running back coach Ja’Juan Seider and his early impact with Jernigan, which tracks with everything I have gathered about this recruitment. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, Jernigan is currently rated as the No. 50 overall player, the No. 2 running back, and the No. 1 player from the state of Mississippi for the 2028 recruiting class.
Jernigan’s recruiting background
A long list of impressive programs have continued to push for Jernigan even outside of Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Some of his other top offers include Alabama, LSU, Florida, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Florida State, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, South Carolina, and UCLA, among many others.
The 5-10.5, 195-pound athlete is a dynamic player coming off a tremendous season for Louisville High School in 2025, where he ran for 1,563 yards and 20 touchdowns. Jernigan also added another 17 receptions for 205 yards and four more scores, showcasing his ability to create big plays in both the run and pass game.
That kind of versatility is exactly what Notre Dame values at the running back position.
What this means for Notre Dame
When you look at how Freeman and the Irish staff have recruited the running back position over the last several years, landing a player of Jernigan’s status and overall talent would be another tremendous haul.
It’s early in the process, but Notre Dame has become the front-runner for the Mississippi star. The next several weeks will be very important to see how this recruitment trends in either direction, but the odds and the momentum are in Notre Dame’s favor.
