When it was time to make his college decison, four-star safety recruit Ivan Taylor listened to advice from his mother, Danielle Montellione Taylor.
She reminded him to put God first and go with his gut. On Friday, Ivan Taylor announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame football's 2025 recruiting class.
“The number one thought that came to my decision was praying,” Taylor told Inside ND Sports. “Without God, I don’t think I would be able to make the decision that I have made.”
The Irish beat out finalists Louisville, Florida State, Michigan, Tennessee, USC and Wisconsin in Taylor's recruitment. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound recruit attends Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange, the same school as former Irish running back Dexter Williams (2015-18).
Per Rivals, Taylor is the No. 14 safety and No. 134 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class. He is the second commit in Notre Dame's 2025 class — along with four-star quarterback Deuce Knight — to be ranked inside the top 150.
Taylor's recruitment with the Irish started in June, when he traveled to South Bend for Irish Invasion and left with an offer from head coach Marcus Freeman. Taylor returned in July for ND's Grill & Chill recruiting event and visited twice this season for games against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest. Freeman, safeties coach Chris O'Leary and director of recruiting Chad Bowden have played integral roles in his recruitment.
“The coaches and the recruiting staff have played a huge part as well,” Taylor said. “Texting and calling me on the daily and having a great connection and conversation about not only football but life in general.”
The Irish now have three 2025 commitments — Taylor, four-star defensive tackle Davion Dixon and four-star running back Justin Thurman — out of the Sunshine State. All hold a 5.8 rating from Rivals, giving them the status of All-American Candidates according to the Rivals Football Team Recruiting Rankings Formula.
“The newest member of the Irish class of 2025 brings expected balance to the table as a safety projection,” Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. said. “He brings cornerback pedigree, from a technical standpoint, with the understanding of space and angles to impact the football at all three levels when playing off the ball. Strong instincts pair well with plus athleticism and ball skills to suggest he could make an instant impact early in his collegiate career.”
With Taylor's addition, Notre Dame's 2025 class becomes the first program to reach 10 commits in the cycle. The class is ranked No. 3 in the Rivals 2025 team recruiting rankings with 1,133 points, only trailing Georgia (1,157 points) and Alabama (1,212 points).
According to MaxPreps, Taylor totaled 50 tackles including 24 solo and six for loss in nine games as a junior. Taylor, an NFL legacy recruit and son of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor, also had one interception and one pass defended.
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