Elite Running Back Zaiden Jernigan Commits to Notre Dame

Notre Dame has landed a second big time commitment in advance of their huge matchup against No. 1 Miami, with Louisville (Miss.) High School running back Zaiden Jernigan committing to the Fighting Irish. Jernigan is the first offensive player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2028 class.

Jernigan is one of the nation's best running backs, regardless of class and is finishing up and elite junior season for the Wildcats. In 10 teams this season, Jernigan has rushed for 1,386 yards and 22 touchdowns on just 145 carries. The 5-11, 195-pound back is averaging 9.6 yards per carry, which is 3.0 yards per carry better than he put up as a sophomore. It's his third straight 1,000 yard season, and the Louisville back rushed for 1,520 yards (6.6 YPC) and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore and racked up 1,386 yards (7.7 YPC) and 21 touchdowns as a freshman. 

For his career, Jernigan has already rushed for 4,433 yards (7.7 YPC) and 65 touchdowns despite not being finished with his junior season. A weapon out of the backfield, Jernigan has also caught 31 passes for 344 yards and five more touchdowns in his career. He was the team's primary kick returner as a freshman, and he averaged 29.5 yards per return and had a 72-yard touchdown return.

Jernigan has rushed for over 100 yards in all but two games this season. He racked up a season high 308 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-38 win over Kosciusko and last weekend he rushed for 211 yards and a score in a 49-12 win over Greenwood. 

Notre Dame has been pushing to land Jernigan for well over a year. It has been clear for months that he's the top running back on the board for the Irish, and Jernigan's interest in the Irish program has been strong that entire time. Jernigan committed to Notre Dame while on campus for the Miami game, which marks the second time he's been to the Notre Dame campus. He visited in 2025 to watch Notre Dame beat USC by a 34-24 score. In that game, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love rushed for 228 yards and fellow back Jadarian Price added 87 more yards and returned a kick for a touchdown.

The Louisville star is an incredibly talented runner. He is a strong runner with outstanding contact balance and agility, which he combines nicely with elite visit and feel for the position. Jernigan can grind out tough yards but also has high level athleticism and the speed to be a home run hitter at the next level. His all-around game fits perfectly into the Notre Dame offense thanks to his ability to hammer between the tackles, make consistently good reads, ability to bounce the ball outside and his prowess in the pass game.

Jernigan is a consensus four-star back that earned a Top 50 national player grade on the Irish Breakdown board. He's also ranked as the No. 67 overall player in the country by Rivals/On3 and the No. 63 player in the country by ESPN, who also ranks him as the No. 2 running back in the land.

Notre Dame now has five commitments in the 2028 recruiting class, as Jernigan joins elite Illinois defensive end Darieon Prescott, big time Ohio defensive end Asa Burch, talented Florida safety Andre Jones and Tennessee kicker Owen Davies.

Jernigan had offers from Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Michigan and Missouri among many others.

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