Another recruiting class, another legacy commitment for Notre Dame football and head coach Marcus Freeman.
2025 tight end James Flanigan, a four-star recruit, committed to the Irish on Saturday over Penn State, Stanford, Wisconsin and others.
Flanigan is the son of former Notre Dame defensive lineman Jim Flanigan (1990-93) and the second consecutive legacy Notre Dame has reeled in, following 2024 defensive end Bryce Young, son of Bryant Young.
James Flanagan visited campus last Saturday during Notre Dame’s 48-20 win against USC. Although he’d visited Irish home games before, that trip was James’ first time visiting a home game as an offered recruit.
"Notre Dame football is legit ... the atmosphere was crazy," Flanigan told Inside ND Sports last Sunday. "It was really fun hanging out with the other guys in the stands and getting to know them."
It turned out that visit sealed the deal for James, who said Freeman, director of recruiting Chad Bowden and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Gerad Parker built a great relationship with him during the recruiting process.
The 6-foot-5, 226-pound recruit out of Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame De La Baie Academy is ranked by Rivals as the No. 7 tight end and No. 244 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class.
Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove broke down what exactly the Irish are getting in James.
“He’s a raw talent, and as good as he is right now, he's pure upside,” Cosgrove said. “He’s got great straight-line speed. He's got an awesome frame. He's a willing blocker. He can play on the ball. He's athletic enough to split out. His straight-line speed really sticks out on film.
“His body mechanics, as he grows, he's gonna grow into that a little more. But he's got great ball skills and like even at a raw stage of his career, you can see the upside.”
In addition to tight end, James also plays defensive end for Notre Dame De La Baie Academy.
Cosgrove believes James could succeed on either side of the ball in college and believes his physical style will do wonders for him as a modern-day tight end. Cosgrove expects James to contribute early on special teams and develop into a true on-ball tight end later on.
“He’s got a mean streak, I mean, he’s nasty,” Cosgrove said. “I really think the sky's the limit. I don't want to put something like this on him, because it's a lot to live up to, but Cole Kmet, I remember going and seeing him as a sophomore, junior in high school. They're very similar at that stage of their careers. And Cole came in, he developed over time. And I see the same thing for him.”
With James commitment, the Irish remain at No. 3 in the Rivals 2025 team recruiting rankings with 814 points. He is the seventh overall commit in the class and the fourth on offense, following four-star quarterback Deuce Knight and four-star running backs Justin Thurman and Daniel Anderson.
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