Ayden Pouncey did what his brother once did. The four-star recruit in the 2026 class gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame, and he announced it Saturday on social media.
But the younger Pouncey can differentiate himself from his older brother, Jordan, by sticking with his commitment. Jordan Pouncey ditched his commitment to then-head coach Brian Kelly and Notre Dame's 2017 recruiting class after the Irish limped through a 4-8 season in 2016. The elder Pouncey, who was a three-star wide receiver recruit, then signed with Texas before transferring to Florida after three seasons.
Plenty has changed at Notre Dame since then that should make Ayden Pouncey more likely to stick to his commitment to the Irish. Notre Dame is coming off a national championship game appearance under head coach Marcus Freeman, and a losing season seems extremely unlikely in 2025. And top defensive backs across the country are interested in playing for Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens.
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Mickens added more to his impressive coaching résumé this week when cornerback Benjamin Morrison (second round) and safety Xavier Watts (third round) became the first Notre Dame defensive back duo drafted in the first three rounds of an NFL Draft since 1994. Pouncey, a Winter Park (Fla.) High product, visited Notre Dame twice in the last two months with his last visit coming this past week.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Pouncey committed to Notre Dame after making visits to Florida, North Carolina, LSU, Georgia, Michigan and Miami already this year. Pouncey had planned official visits to Miami, Syracuse, Notre Dame and LSU, and Michigan was likely to receive one as well.
Pouncey became the second defensive back committed to Notre Dame's 2026 class by joining four-star cornerback Chaston Smith, who gave his pledge in December. Rivals ranks Pouncey as the No. 20 safety and No. 244 overall in the 2026 class.
"Pouncey is one of the more confident secondary recruits in the 2026 cycle in part due to the family pedigree but also in part due to a versatility he brings to the back end of a defense," said Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. "The 2024 season allowed for the full skill set to be put on display, where we even saw the 6-foot-3 standout work very well at the cornerback position against Power 4 wide receiver recruits. Combine it with the previous notion that he has some of the top football instincts, range and ball skills relative to deep safety projections in the class and there is a lot to work with regarding Pouncey’s true ceiling.
"He will also work to fill out more at the next level, likely enhancing some of his range and skill at the catch point. Whether as a boundary cornerback or a classic last line of defense, the Orlando native feels like a strong bet to make memorable plays in college."
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The addition of Pouncey lifted Notre Dame's 2026 class to third-best in the country, per Rivals. The Irish, who now have 12 commitments, were previously ranked sixth. Pouncey is the 11th four-star recruit and seventh Rivals250 recruit in Notre Dame's class. The two teams ranked ahead of Notre Dame have more commitments than the Irish: No. 1 USC (23 commits) and No. 2 Clemson (14).
Notre Dame will continue to look to expand its defensive back haul with four-star recruits Joey O'Brien (CB/S) and Khary Adams (CB) and three-star safety Nick Reddish. All three are scheduled to make official visits to Notre Dame in June.
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