Notre Dame football is set to make a push for yet another son of an NFL father, but this one could get tricky
Notre Dame has put an early offer in front of one of the top defenders in the 2029 class. Whether the Fighting Irish can overcome a family tradition is the question.
Notre Dame football extended an intriguing 2029 recruiting offer over the weekend. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish offered Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga High School defensive end DJ Dockery, one of the elite pass rushers in the country.
Dockery is only a sophomore in high school, but he is already drawing attention from some of the top programs in the nation. For a Notre Dame staff that has leaned heavily into players with NFL bloodlines, this is a recruitment worth watching closely.
DJ Dockery’s recruiting background
The 6-2, 220-pound pass rusher is rated as the No. 6 overall player, the No. 1 edge rusher, and the No. 1 player from Washington D.C. in the 2029 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.
A long list of impressive programs has already offered Dockery. That includes Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, Indiana, Auburn, and Duke, among many others. That list will only continue to grow as he moves through his high school career.
247Sports’ TJ Randall described Dockery this way: “A slithering defender, believed to be hovering around 6’2″, 220 pounds. He’s explosive. He’s an explosive closer who can serve and pursue down the field to put an end to developing offensive opportunities. He’s got a lethal dip and rip at the top with impressive cornering functionality. As a whole, and he has the power to punch above his weight class both defensive phases for multiple alignments. Pairing of length and explosive disrupt backfield action establishes him as one of the top defenders in the 2029 cycle.”
That is high praise for a player this early in the process. The combination of bend and closing burst is exactly what you want to see from a young edge rusher with tremendous upside.
Notre Dame’s history with NFL bloodlines
Here’s the thing about Dockery. He fits exactly what Freeman and the Irish staff have tended to gravitate toward in the past, which is the sons of former NFL players.
His father, Derrick Dockery, played offensive line at Texas. He earned consensus first-team All-American honors and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection during the 2002 college football season. Washington, then known as the Redskins, selected Derrick in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft, and he went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL.
The Texas ties don’t stop there. Dockery’s uncle, Cedric, started 30 games for the Longhorns from 2004-08. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2007 and second-team All-Big 12 honors the following year.
In other words, this is a Texas legacy who settled in the DMV area because of his father’s NFL career.
Over the years, Notre Dame has prioritized NFL genetics on the recruiting trail. That includes the likes of Bryce Young, Kaydon Finley, Jerome Bettis Jr., Elijah Burress, and James Flanigan, among several others. Dockery clearly fits that mold, and he could be a player the Irish push hard for.
The battle ahead for Notre Dame
The competition is going to be fierce, especially with the family ties to the Longhorns. It will be a fascinating battle to see if Notre Dame can pry Dockery away from his Texas roots.
Still, Notre Dame is making a strong push for one of the top overall players in the 2029 class, and the Irish clearly view him as a priority target.
Defensive line coach Charlie Partridge continues to impress as a recruiter. He has brought top-flight talent along the defensive line to South Bend, and that track record should help the Irish make their case.
Keep an eye on Dockery. There is a long road ahead in this recruitment, but Notre Dame has positioned itself early with one of the elite defenders in the country.
