Notre Dame eyeing NFL legacy, decorated LB recruit Jaxon Pyatt after Irish Invasion

The Notre Dame football program is setting its sights on another NFL legacy recruit. Jaxon Pyatt, the son of former Colts, Rams, Dolphins, and Steelers wide receiver Brad Pyatt, was in South Bend on June 2 for the program’s annual Irish Invasion camp. 

It was the younger Pyatt’s third time at Notre Dame for a recruiting event. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder from Arvada (Colo.) Arvada West previously visited for spring practice in March 2023 and last year’s Irish Invasion camp. 

According to the On3 Industry Ranking, Pyatt is the No. 406 overall player, No. 29 linebacker and No. 2 prospect in Colorado in the 2026 cycle. He has nine scholarship offers, including Boston College, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Syracuse. 

Although the three-star prospect has yet to add Notre Dame to his offer sheet, the school’s history and coaching staff’s instruction keep attracting him to campus.

“The coaches always want to help you,” Pyatt said. “They don’t look at you as another person on the team. Like, they actually want to help you.”

During this year’s camp, Pyatt worked with Max Bullough, who also played in the NFL. Notre Dame’s linebackers coach, Bullough, proved to Pyatt how much details matter when playing the position. 

“Each time I made a tiny mistake, the coaches were right on it and critiqued it right away, which felt nice,” Pyatt said. “If my foot wasn’t in front of me right, they’d critique that. Tell me each step, what to do. How to break down better. I like that a lot because it taught me how to cover better. …

“They’re super personable. They’re not the ‘too-coachy’ type. They know how to get into your head and fix it.”

Without those pointers, Pyatt still had an outstanding sophomore season. According to MaxPreps, he racked up 99 tackles (55 solo), 17 for loss, 4 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries in 10 games. He also added 4 pass breakups and caused 2 fumbles. Colorado High School Athletic Association coaches recognized him as a Class 5A honorable mention, the only sophomore linebacker to receive those honors. 

So, the Irish coaching staff sees Pyatt’s potential — even if he has not fully tapped into it. 

“They said I have speed and power,” Pyatt said. “I need to be more under control.”

Pyatt will have a chance to work on that later this month when he camps at Kansas State and Ole Miss; he was already at Michigan on June 5. He has also shown previous interest in Arkansas, Colorado, Kentucky, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State and Rutgers. 

Pyatt will not stop working toward an Irish offer, either. He hopes to return next summer for another camp or, if he receives an invite, a recruiting visit. As Pyatt has seen three times, there is more to Notre Dame than its football coaching staff.

“The campus was cool,” he said. “I got to touch the ‘Play Like A Champion Today’ sign, which was definitely good. The campus is super old-school and pretty, which I like.”

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