2026 Louisiana S Blaine Bradford Has Notre Dame Ties, Will Visit Next Month
Notre Dame hasn’t hesitated to recruit Louisiana over the last few years and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi has continued to make the program’s presence felt.
The latest offer in Louisiana is 2026 Catholic High safety Blaine Bradford, who hails from Baton Rouge.
Biagi and safeties coach Chris O’Leary made a stop by Catholic High last week and the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder reported an offer later in the day.
“It was good,” Bradford told ISD. “I was with my parents. Coach Marty (Biagi) was already recruiting me when he was at Ole Miss, so we had a bond going.”
Bradford was excited for the Notre Dame offer, but also to know he would be continuing to build his relationship with Biagi.
“He’s a good dude,” said Bradford. “He’s a down-to-earth guy. He likes to make jokes and a guy you can talk to any time.”
Recruiting Baton Rouge certainly brings a few challenges to the table for Notre Dame, but the Irish have had success there. Early enrollee linebacker Jaiden Ausberry chose to head to South Bend a year ago and he just happens to be related to Bradford.
“Jaiden and I are cousins, so that sparked some interest,” Bradford said. “It’s a good school with academics and I think the football team is solid. I think they’re going to be good for the next few years.”
The two haven’t connected just yet, but with Ausberry back for the summer and Bradford having an offer in hand, it’s only a matter of time.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him yet,” stated Bradford. “I’ll get that in soon.”
Notre Dame isn’t Bradford’s first big offer as Bradford already owns a national offer list as a freshman.
The early attention did catch the Catholic High star off guard, but Bradford quickly adapted and has embraced it.
“At first it was kind of crazy,” explained Bradford. “I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was going to be a few, but now, I’m getting used to it in a way. I’m focused on getting ready for that leadership role I have to take and be responsible with it.”
It’s far from surprising LSU has hosted Bradford the most as he begins his recruitment as his high school is 11 minutes from Death Valley. Yet, Bradford has noticed LSU has made him an early priority despite being from Baton Rouge.
“Coach (Brian) Kelly is building a family environment,” Bradford said. “With LSU being so close to home, it’s easier for me to go there on visits than anywhere else. That’s a plus for them. I feel like all the coaches there, Coach (Joe) Sloan and Coach (Robert) Steeples, are all on me. That’s also been great.”
Bradford will return to LSU summer, but he’ll also make trips to see other programs, including a visit to South Bend for Irish Invasion.
“I have a few camps I’m going to this summer,” said Bradford. “I’ll be at Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and a stop at LSU.”
Offers: Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Marshall, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Tulane and Vanderbilt
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