‘It’s Notre Dame’ — Why The Ausberry Brothers Worked To Get Irish Offer
Two of Notre Dame’s highest profile recruits who visited last weekend for Irish Invasion share a last name. Austin and Jaiden Ausberry, the brothers from Baton Rouge (La.) University Laboratory School, went into Sunday’s Irish Invasion camp seeking offers from Notre Dame.
They both accomplished their goal.
Austin is 6-1, 201-pound four-star defensive back in the 2022 class with over a dozen offers, including Alabama, which he received the day before heading up to South Bend. Jaiden is a linebacker in the 2023 cycle with many heavy hitters on his offer sheet.
Both have a handful of offers from powerhouse programs, but it was important to them to earn a scholarship from Notre Dame.
“I really wanted a Notre Dame offer, and I wanted to show the coaches that I wanted to go out there and compete no matter what the circumstances are,” Jaiden said.
“They wanted to see how I move in person,” Austin added. “I was working out at cornerback and safety at the camp, but I’ll play safety at the next level.”
Austin and Jaiden’s father is Verge Ausberry, who has held the title of executive deputy athletic director at LSU and has worked in the Tigers’ athletic department for 20 years. They’ve been at LSU more times than anyone could count and have seen numerous other colleges.
Both were blown away by Notre Dame’s facilities and had similar thoughts.
“The indoor is probably the nicest indoor I’ve ever seen,” Austin said. “It’s big and really nice.”
“They were really nice,” his younger brother said. “Everything was clean. It all looks new because of how well they take care of it. The facilities are really nice. That’s the best indoor I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to some really good universities. Everything they have there is really spot-on.”
Armed with scholarship offers and having already seen campus, the Ausberry brothers will look closely at Notre Dame moving forward.
Notre Dame Offer A ‘Big Deal’ To Austin Ausberry
Prospect camps such as Irish Invasion are geared more towards underclassmen recruits, but it also provides a great opportunity for the college coaching staffs to see any rising seniors who they feel are on the cusp of an offer.
That was the case for Austin, who Rivals ranks as the nation’s No. 202 overall player and No. 26 cornerback. The whole Notre Dame experience was a big success for him.
“It went great,” he said. “I talked with Coach [Marcus] Freeman, the camp was great, the coaches were great, and the academics are prestigious. They have a great football team and great program. It’s big time.”
Many prospects hope to make a commitment before the start of their senior season to get the recruiting process out of the way. That’s not Austin’s timeline though. He plans to stretch things out into the fall.
“I’m wide open right now,” he added. “Notre Dame is a big deal.”
Austin will officially visit Virginia next weekend and could potentially return to Notre Dame for a visit June 25 or sometime in the fall.
“They’re definitely one of the tops for me,” he said. “It’s Notre Dame. They’re great at football and the connections that you can get there are tremendous. It’s the top of the top, and I love Coach Freeman.”
Jaiden certainly endorses Alabama’s and Notre Dame’s recent offer to his older brother.
“He’s really good,” Jaiden said of Austin. “He’s under the radar because he came up late. 2020 was his first year playing cornerback; he played tight end before that.”
Notre Dame An Early Standout To Jaiden Ausberry
The Ausberry brothers had separate interviews with BlueandGold.com, but their sentiments about Notre Dame’s facilities were the same, and when asked why the Fighting Irish were important offers to them, they both replied, “It’s Notre Dame.”
“It’s a national brand,” Jaiden added. “Who doesn’t want to have a chance to play football and go to school at Notre Dame? It’s one of the best in academics and football. It’s great all around.”
Rivals lists Jaiden as an athlete and the No. 24 overall player in the 2023 class. Notre Dame is recruiting him as a linebacker, so he spent a lot of time on campus with defensive coordinator and position coach Marcus Freeman during his time in South Bend.
“He’s a really good guy on and off the field,” Jaiden said. “I really like how he coaches and motivates his players. I really hope to get to spend more time with him. I got along with all of the coaches; they’re just really good people.
“He’s a really good coach. He knows what he’s talking about. He talked about when he got to Cincinnati, the defense wasn’t that good, but the next year, they were top 10. He brings motivation and determination to his defense.”
The Ausberry brothers also had a chance to sit down with Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly.
“He was saying that we were here for a reason,” recalled Jaiden. “He looked through our tape and grades and said that if it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t be there. He wanted to evaluate us some more and after the camp, they’d let us know if we got the offer or not. As you know, we both got the offer.”
Like his older brother, Jaiden hopes to return to South Bend.
“I’d really like to get back there for another visit to see what the game day experience is like and talk to the coaches more and some of the players,” he said.
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