Florida star Zayden Gamble chooses Notre Dame, capping a successful recruitment over top rivals for the talented 2027 safety.
Notre Dame has landed a big time commitment in the 2027 class with Florida safety Zayden Gamble pledging to the Fighting Irish. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas star picked Notre Dame over finalists Ohio State, Miami (Fla.) and Florida.
Gamble has been a top target for Notre Dame for over a year, but it was only recently that the Irish staff was able to make a big move towards this commitment. The 6-0, 185-pound safety made a visit to South Bend the weekend of March 21st, which was his first visit to campus. Notre Dame made an incredibly strong impression on Gamble, and over the last month secondary coach Aaron Henry and the Irish staff were able to close the deal.
As a junior, Gamble was a key force on the Raider defense, which was a driving force behind their 14-1 campaign that ended with a state championship. St. Thomas Aquinas blanked Lakeland by a 29-0 score in the state championship game, and Gamble was a star, making six tackles, picking off a pass and breaking up another. He finished his junior season with 65 tackles, three interception, five break ups and three tackles for loss. St. Thomas Aquinas finished the year as the No. 10 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 national rankings. Notre Dame being able to dip into the state of Florida for a talented player from one of the nation's best programs is a big win for the Irish.
Landing Gamble gives Notre Dame four secondary commits in the 2027 class. Earlier this week the Irish landed Florida nickel John Gay III. Notre Dame also has commitments from Top 100 cornerbacks Xavier Hasan (North Carolina) and Ace Alston (Ohio). Gamble is the first pure safety to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class, and it's an important pickup for the Irish.
The St. Thomas Aquinas standout ranks as a Top 150 caliber prospect on the Irish Breakdown board, but he has clear Top 100 upside. Gamble ranks as the nation's No. 174 overall player in the country according to 247Sports. He is ranked as the No. 185 overall player by ESPN and No. 236 overall by On3/Rivals.
Gamble had an impressive offer list. He earned offers from the Irish, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Miami, Indiana, Florida, Florida State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Washington, SMU, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Illinois, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Boston College, Maryland, UCF, California, Oklahoma State, Colorado and Purdue.
Gamble is the 10th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class. He joins Texas running back Lathan Whisenton, Massachusetts running back Isaiah Rogers, Pennsylvania offensive lineman James Halter, Wisconsin offensive lineman Richie Flanigan, Florida linebacker Amarri Irvin, North Carolina snapper Sean Kraft, as well as Hasan, Alston and Gay.
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