Top 2023 LB Jaiden Ausberry Intrigued by Notre Dame, Ready for Spring Visits

2023 University Lab (La.) linebacker Jaiden Ausberry‍ is one of the nation’s top prospects and while he’s enjoying the offseason, the four-star prospect knows it’s also time to grind. 

"It's going well,” the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder told ISD. “I've been working out with my team. I'm really trying to get better in all aspects of the game. Getting bigger, faster and stronger is important because I feel there is always room for improvement." 

The offseason has also allowed Ausberry to dive into his recruitment. It’s a recruitment that’s national one as Ausberry stated Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Oregon and Texas A&M are charging hard.

Notre Dame might be the program coming the hardest in recent weeks as Ausberry hears from the Irish staff on a daily basis. In fact, Ausberry will make his second trip to campus next month.

"I'll be back at Notre Dame March 18th-20th,” stated Ausberry. “Coach (Marcus) Freeman, Coach (Al) Washington and Chad Bowden - pretty much everyone up there has shown a lot of love. I've talked to them pretty much every day. They want me to get up there and show me how it is with Coach Freeman as the head man." 

Freeman’s relentless recruiting has been well-documented, but in this case, Ausberry has had a strong relationship with him for months. Notre Dame naming Freeman the head coach in December was only a positive in Auberry’s eyes. 

"It was (good) because he was recruiting me personally when he was the defensive coordinator,” Ausberry. “Now that he's the head coach, we already have a good relationship, so it's cool." 

Washington might be new to Notre Dame, but not so much for Ausberry. Ohio State also hosted Ausberry over the summer and his recruitment was led by Washington. The Louisiana native has nothing, but great things to say about Notre Dame’s new defensive line coach as they have built a phenomenal relationship. 

"He was recruiting me pretty hard at Ohio State and for him to go to Notre Dame with Coach Freeman, it's kind of scary,” said Ausberry. 

"He's a really exciting dude. He's always outgoing and he's going to keep it real with you. He never just talks about just football. We talk about everything else and he cares about the people he recruits. He makes the relationship personal and I like that about him." 

For some recruits, the recruiting can get overwhelming, especially when coveted as much as Ausberry. The University Lab star saw his brother go through the process a year ago and has embraced the attention. 

"I'm enjoying it and I'm starting to get to know some new coaches,” explained Ausberry. “A lot of coaches went from one place to another, but it doesn't really get overwhelming.

"A lot of coaches can blow my phone up and I don't see all the texts all the time, but I'm just taking my time with it." 

In addition to Notre Dame, Ausberry will be at LSU (March 5), Oregon (March 12) and Auburn (April 2). 

This round of visits will be important as each school is breaking in new coaches and Ausberry wants to get a feel of what each environment is like under the staff. 

"I really want to get to know the coaches,” Ausberry stated. “Pretty much every place I'm going, they all have new coaches on the defensive staff. I'm looking forward to getting to see  them at their new college." 

It’s an important round of visits as Ausberry will take official visits in the summer and he’s paying close attention to each experience. 

"I'm probably going to take three or four official visits in the summer and then I'll take one or two in the fall,” Ausberry said. “I'm going to make my decision whenever I feel it's right. I'm trying to aim towards December right now. I'm just trying to take my time with everything.

"The relationships with the coaches, positive culture and I want to make sure everything is going right in the program. I want to make sure coaches keep it real and make sure I'm not getting messed over."