NFL legacy recruit Devin Fitzgerald commits to Notre Dame football

The Notre Dame football program continued its recruiting momentum Saturday by securing a verbal commitment from another notable name.

Phoenix Brophy College Prep wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, a class of 2026 recruit, announced his Fighting Irish pledge over Clemson, Stanford and UCLA. Fitzgerald is the son of legendary Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, an 11-time Pro Bowler and member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team.

Devin is the second NFL legacy pass-catcher to commit to Notre Dame in as many days. He joins Aledo (Texas) High four-star Kaydon Finley, who announced his decision Friday night. Finley is the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, a six-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl XLV champion.

Fitzgerald and Finley are part of a 2026 Notre Dame commit list that features 22 other recruits. Among them is four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. (Matthews, N.C.), the son of longtime NFL linebacker and three-time Pro Bowler Thomas Davis Sr. The Irish also hold commitments from two other wide receivers: four-star Bubba Frazier (Savannah, Ga.) and three-star Dylan Faison (Boca Raton, Fla.).

With Fitzgerald on board, Notre Dame’s 2026 class remains top five of the Industry Ranking Team Recruiting Rankings. According to On3 | Rivals, Fitzgerald is a three-star prospect, ranked No. 14 in Arizona and No. 150 among wide receivers in the 2026 class. He is expected to receive a rankings bump when On3 | Rivals updates their evaluations Monday.

Before announcing his commitment, Fitzgerald told Blue & Gold that relationships were central to his decision — particularly with Davis, freshman cornerback Cree Thomas, freshman wide receiver Elijah Burress, head coach Marcus Freeman, wide receivers coach Mike Brown and general manager Mike Martin.

Fitzgerald played with Thomas for three seasons at Brophy Prep, the same high school that produced current Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison. While the parallels between his current school and Notre Dame greatly mattered, it was the people in South Bend who solidified his choice.

“They are what made it for me,” Fitzgerald said. “I like how all the recruits I’m going in with have the same goals as me and can help push me on the field and in the classroom. Notre Dame has some of the best academics in the country and one of the best football teams. So it’s pretty hard to compete with that. You get them both and a brotherhood for life.”

Brown plays a major role in Fitzgerald’s decision

Of the 35 wide receivers Notre Dame has offered in the 2026 cycle, Fitzgerald was the second most recent to report a scholarship. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder announced his offer from the Irish on May 8.

Though the offer came less than two months before his commitment, Fitzgerald had a longstanding connection with Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown. His father and Brown first connected about a decade ago, and Brown has been recruiting him since last June. With Brown as his position coach, Fitzgerald sees himself as a potential weapon in the Notre Dame offense.

“I would love to come in and replace (Jaden) Greathouse,” Fitzgerald said. “I like how they move him around. He’s not just an outside or slot receiver. That’s what I would want my role to be. They said they needed a 50/50 jump-ball guy, and I can definitely do that.”

Last season, Fitzgerald caught 52 passes for 720 yards and 9 touchdowns in 13 games, earning All-Central Region second-team honors. Before his commitment, he held scholarship offers from 18 Power Four programs.

During the recruiting process, Fitzgerald officially visited all four of his finalists. He also took unofficial visits to Arizona State, Michigan, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Northwestern, Florida State, Duke and North Carolina. Still, after his fourth visit to Notre Dame the weekend of June 13, his decision became clear.

The camaraderie among the recruits during that trip left a lasting impression. With Fitzgerald now in the fold, six of the nine uncommitted visitors from that weekend have joined the Irish class. Now, as a member of that group, Fitzgerald believes big things are ahead in South Bend.

“I only see Notre Dame going up from here,” he said. “I think the (possible) new quarterback, CJ Carr, has a great arm. The offensive coordinator (Mike Denbrock) will hopefully do what he did with LSU when Jayden Daniels was there. I’m hoping they’re going to start throwing the ball a lot more.

“Notre Dame always has a great defense. Defense is what wins you games. I know I can count on them, so we’ve got to hold it down on the offensive side. I’m just looking forward to being a part of that and contributing to definitely winning a natty.”

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