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Eli Lederman
Class of 2026 wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, son of 11-time Pro Bowl selection and second all-time NFL receiving yards leader Larry Fitzgerald, has committed to Notre Dame, he announced Saturday night.
Fitzgerald is a three-star pass catcher from Arizona’s Brophy Prep and ESPN’s 71st-ranked wide receiver prospect in his class. He chose the Fighting Irish over UCLA, and he lands as the 24th member in Notre Dame’s incoming recruiting class, which sits fourth in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the 2026 cycle.
Fitzgerald told ESPN the Irish have been consistent in his recruitment since his freshman year. However, Notre Dame waited until May to extend a scholarship offer, joining the string of interested Power 4 programs that entered Fitzgerald’s process this spring after he caught 52 passes for 720 yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout junior campaign last fall.
Fitzgerald’s recruitment to the Irish was led by Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown, who played in the NFL from 2012 to 2015.
“I’ve developed into a better ballplayer, and they really think I’m going to turn into a great player,” Fitzgerald told ESPN. “I’ve known Coach Brown since I was 5 years old. He’s shown me that I can come in, step up and play early. That’s their plan with me.”
Fitzgerald will follow in his father’s footsteps into major college football when he signs with the Irish later this year.
Larry Fitzgerald emerged as one of college football’s most prolific pass catchers starting in 2002. He eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in each of his two college seasons at Pittsburgh, finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting and winning the Biletnikoff Award as a sophomore in 2003.
The No. 3 selection in the 2004 NFL draft, Larry Fitzgerald spent his entire 17-season NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, securing first-team All-Pro honors in 2008. He retired in 2020 trailing only Jerry Rice in all-time receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492).
“Having my dad there to help me throughout the recruiting process has been great,” Devin Fitzgerald told ESPN. “He knows what’s important. You want to go somewhere you feel like you belong and where you fit in.”
He commits to Notre Dame as part of the third NFL bloodline set to join the Irish in 2026.
Four-star outside linebacker, the son of former Carolina Panthers All-Pro Thomas Davis, has been pledged to the program’s 2026 class since November. Four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finley followed on Friday when he committed to Notre Dame over Texas; ESPN’s No. 114 prospect is the son of former Green Bay Packers tight end and Super Bowl XLV champion Jermichael Finley.
Devin Fitzgerald now stands as one of four wide receivers committed to Notre Dame this cycle, following Finley, Bubba Frazier (No. 266 in the 2026 ESPN 300) and three-star recruit Dylan Faison. The Irish’s incoming wide receiver class could grow again on Sunday when Brayden Robinson, No. 293, announces his pledge from between Arizona, Miami and Notre Dame.
