2026 TE Jack Janda Enjoys Notre Dame's Irish Invasion

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (Mich.) has been a hot spot for Notre Dame baseball recruiting over the last year, but 2026 tight end Jack Janda‍ and 2026 cornerback AJ Marks‍ made their way to Irish Invasion on Sunday afternoon. 

For Janda, the camp allowed him to test himself against competition outside of the state of Michigan. 

“It was great,” Janda told ISD. “It was a good experience and a great camp. There were a lot of big-name players and good competition.

“I got to see how many good players there are outside of Michigan. There are a lot of competitive kids and going against them makes you better.” 

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder is approaching double-digit offers and while he battled through a hamstring injury, Janda felt he did well on Sunday. 

“I thought I did pretty good,” explained Janda. “My hamstring was hurting, so I didn’t do that much. I did one 1-on-1 rep and my hamstring gave out. I felt I was close to the other tight ends. I’m a little bit younger than the others at camp, but I’m trying to get better and hopefully, I can be better than them one day.” 

Irish Invasion also was an opportunity for Janda to get in front of the Notre Dame staff, but also soak in knowledge to improve his game. 

“They were able to teach me their techniques of blocking and running routes,” said Janda. “It was helpful. They’re great coaches.” 

Janda’s summer plans are unfortunately up in the air at this point given the status of his hamstring as he wants to make sure he’s healthy for the season. 

“I was supposed to go to Michigan on Wednesday,” Janda said. “Penn State on the 11th and Wisconsin on the 17th, but with my hamstring, I probably won’t. I want to get it right for the season.” 

Despite the hamstring issues, Janda had a few conversations following camp with Notre Dame’s staff and they would love to see him back in South Bend this fall. 

“Coach (Gerad) Parker and Coach (Gino) Guidugli talked with me about getting back for a game this fall,” said Janda. “I’ll be staying in touch with them, but I definitely want to get down for a game.” 

Offers: Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Illinois, Louisville, Ohio, Toledo and West Virginia 

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