Four-star JaDon Blair and his father go in depth on Notre Dame official visit

Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor’s JaDon Blair is no stranger to Notre Dame. This week, he took his fourth overall visit to campus, and his previous trip to South Bend was a full four-day experience.

Blair, who ranks as the No. 155 overall prospect and No. 15 safety in America per the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, was at Notre Dame from Tuesday to Thursday for an official visit. There’s not much new for him to do or experience at this point, but this week did offer time for him to strengthen his bond with the Fighting Irish staff.

“What was good and unique about this one was the meetings I had with Coach [Mike] Mickens and Coach [Marcus] Freeman,” Blair told Blue & Gold. “With Coach Mickens, he was breaking down the defense to me and how they do things. With Coach Freeman, he was saying how he’d love to coach me and love to develop me personally. He’s accountable for his guys and helps them every step of the way.

“I’ve seen it all. During my last unofficial visit, we did a lot of stuff that I did on my OV. We got to eat at the top of the stadium and talk up there.”

A few weeks ago at the On3 Elite Series in Nashville, Blair told Blue & Gold that he had real thoughts about shutting down his recruitment several months ago and committing to the Irish when Chris O’Leary was ND’s safeties coach. But O’Leary’s departure for the Los Angeles Chargers made him back off that idea.

Notre Dame seems to be back in the lead for Blair now, and his connection with Mickens is a big part of it.

“I spent a lot of time with Coach Mickens, and I would say my relationship with him is probably stronger than with O’Leary,” added Blair. “Coach Mickens is a great guy; I’ve met his family and it’s on a personal level with him. I know the type of guy he is.

“They just grow on me more every time I come up. Getting in the meetings with them and hearing about my fit — they want to use me everywhere. They can have me blitz off the edge, drop me in the deep third, deep half — anywhere they can use me.”

Another notable part of Blair’s visit was him getting on the phone with the father of former Irish and current Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. The elder Hamilton spoke to the Blair family for a bit and then dialed in Tom Mendoza, a business mogul and the namesake of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

“That was good, and he got me on the phone with Tom Mendoza,” added Blair. “That was pretty cool. I want to major in business.”

Blair is at Michigan for an official visit this weekend, heads to Florida State June 18 and finishes up his run of official visits June 21 at Penn State. He will be announcing his commitment to lucky school July 5.

“With these visits, I’m just trying to get that ‘feeling’ and with Notre Dame, I definitely have a feeling for it,” he said. “I have to take the rest of these visits, talk to my parents and make the best decision.”

JaDon Blair’s father breaks down the Notre Dame official visit

Hearing a recruit’s perspective on a visit is always important, but a parent’s perspective can be just as insightful, if not more.

Following a conversation with the four-star prospect, Blue & Gold spoke with Jay Blair, who played college football at East Carolina and played in the professionally with the Bengals, Browns and the Amsterdam Admirals and the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe.

“How comfortable he was with them,” answered the elder Blair when asked for his takeaway from the official visit. “Notre Dame is always going to be Notre Dame, and JaDon is so comfortable with the staff. He knows he can grow with them.

“A lot of schools say the 4-for-40, and Notre Dame is no exception, but they took it as far as saying 4-for-forever. And it’s not just from their word; they have a guy like Mike Golic Sr. come and speak.

“They know JaDon wants to major in business with a concentration in broadcasting. They set up a video session for him to practice those things. That was great.

“Having Kyle Hamilton’s dad call Tom Mendoza and set that up, and Tom spent 30 minutes of his time to talk with us — that was huge.

“There’s a consistent theme and message each time we’ve been up here, on the phone and on the text. The consistency stands out.”

Life after football is an important part of Blair’s recruiting process; it’s something that his father certainly reminds his son about. Jay has firsthand experience with it as a former NFL player.

“One day, we all hang up the cleats,” Jay Blair said. “Where and who can prepare you for the next chapter of your life? That’s the deciding factor there.”

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