We are working our way through Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class composed of 24 signees from all over the United States. Today we’re taking a look at the tight end position and a legacy recruit from the Midwest who became one of the top recruits at his position this cycle.
Tight End James Flanigan
Bio:
A multi-sport athlete from Green Bay, Wisconsin who played hockey and track and field in addition to football. Flanigan was offered by Notre Dame in the early spring of 2023 and would commit during the middle of the 2023 football season. He played his prep career for the Notre Dame de la Baie Academy Tritons with this delightful high school branding:
Mer-man!
Flanigan’s grandfather played at Pittsburgh in college and was a 2nd round draft pick with the Packers, winning Super Bowl II during his rookie year. His father James Flanigan, Jr. was a defensive tackle for Notre Dame (1990-93 with THAT iconic SI cover) and played 10 seasons in the NFL, the first 7 with the Chicago Bears. This makes Notre Dame’s new recruit James Flanigan III but that styling isn’t being used by the school.
Ranking:
126th overall, 6th TE, 1st in Wisconsin with a 0.9402 Composite score.
Size: 8/10
Notre Dame’s freshmen page lists Flanigan at 6-5 and 230 pounds. We have a ton of pictures of him standing next to his dad (6-2, 280 in his NFL playing days) and JF3 is visibly 2-3 inches taller. So that height looks to be pretty accurate.
Flanigan’s body is already well developed, which is no surprise given his family tree. As an aside, he must’ve been a menace at the high school hockey level with this size and athleticism. Jeff Jackson stay away! Although he’s not quite as tall, Flanigan’s size reminds me of Eli Raridon coming out of high school. He’s still lean enough to put on more size and will probably end up in the 245-250 range in a couple years.
Hype Factor: 8.5/10
This commitment and recruiting chase seemed a little muted throughout this cycle. First, Notre Dame hitched its wagon to Nate Roberts and it was unclear if the Irish would be pursuing anyone else in the class. Once Roberts left the class, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Flanigan would join things in South Bend once the staff pressed that button.
He’s a fantastic athlete and I’m sure we’ll see even more growth once he focuses solely on football. I’m impressed by Flanigan’s quickness and burst with the ball in his hands. He was productive as a pass catcher in high school but some of the scouting suggested he was still pretty raw. I like what I see and think he’ll be one of the best players in this class quite easily.
Outlook: Stranger Things Have Happened
As of this writing, Kevin Bauman is expected to return for a 6th season and of course the program brought in Arkansas transfer Ty Washington recently, as well. Not long ago, the tight end depth chart was looking a little thin for 2025 but the team is set to carry 6 players at this position.
Remember, quasi-starter Cooper Flanagan (the name similarities is going to be TOUGH with these 2 on the roster) tore his Achilles in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia so even a miraculous recovery timeline would likely have him missing the start of the season. Unfortunately, Flanigan isn’t an early enrollee so he’ll be behind the curve when he arrives this summer. Still, I think there’s an outside shot he moves up the depth chart quickly and there might be a discussion about not taking a redshirt.
