Jack Kiser played more games for Notre Dame football than any other player in program history.
The next football game Kiser plays in will likely be for the Jacksonville, who selected him Saturday in the fourth round with pick No. 107 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Kiser ended his Notre Dame career, which spanned six seasons, with at least 45 tackles in each of the past four seasons. His 275 career tackles are the 21st-most in program history. But rather than trumpeting stats, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone has been fond of pursuing players he describes as "intangibly rich."
Naturally, Kiser was asked about the phrase in his first press conference with reporters following his draft selection.
"I'm pretty sure it was said on my call at some point," Kiser said. "I think that goes well with who I am as a football player. My physical traits don't really stand out compared to everybody — I check the box — but it's those intangible traits that I think really set me apart. It's my mental game, it's how I take care of myself, it's my preparation and that allows me to surpass people in different ways. So I think, yeah, it's a great fit for sure.”
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Kiser played at Notre Dame so long that he overlapped with new Jaguars teammate Robert Hainsey for two seasons at Notre Dame. Hainsey, an offensive lineman, signed a three-year deal with Jacksonville this offseason after playing four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a rookie contract.
Preparing to play football is as much a part of his life as helping around the family farm was when he was growing up.
"I think first and foremost, my routine is my routine at this point," Kiser said of his maturirty as a football player. "I’ve done it, right? I’m not going to have to try to create a new concoction of what gets me ready for a game. I’ve been doing it. I trust it tremendously."
Kiser played in just four games to qualify for a redshirt season as a freshman. He expanded his role on special teams and as a reserve defender in 2020. He then became a significant contributor on defense the next four seasons.
Kiser made eight starts primarily as a rover linebacker in as a junior in 2021. He totaled 45 tackles and intercepted a pair of passes and returned them for touchdowns.
Kiser’s starting role shrank in 2022 and 2023, but his impact didn’t. He totaled 58 tackles in 2022 and 62 in 2023. After Marist Liufau (third round) and JD Bertrand (fifth round) left for the 2024 NFL Draft, Kiser became a full-time starter for the first time in his career last season.
Kiser set a career high and led the team with 90 tackles last season. He added five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles, two sacks and one pass breakup.
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Kiser, a product of Royal Center (Ind.) Pioneer, became the third Notre Dame linebacker to be selected in the past two drafts after Liufau and Bertrand. He also became Notre Dame’s second in-state recruit to get drafted following Blake Fisher of Avon, Ind., in last year’s draft.
Two former Notre Dame teammates were selected ahead of Kiser in this year's draft: cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the second round and safety Xavier Watts in the third round. Even though Kiser didn't expect to be drafted on Thursday night in the first round, just the chance of being drafted on Friday made the wait until Saturday a long one.
"Last night, you're like, ‘Oh, you know, maybe there's an outside chance,’ so you're hanging out," Kiser said. "But I've just been so ready since this process has started to find that new home and find that new chapter in life. So, today, even though it was only a couple picks into the fourth round it felt like a long time."
Kiser signed with Notre Dame as a three-star recruit. Rivals ranked him as the No. 37 outside linebacker in the 2019 recruiting class. Kiser ended up being the fifth linebacker selected in the 2025 draft class.
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