2026 LB/S Simeon Caldwell Blown Away By Notre Dame...Again
Based on the excitement in his voice alone, you may have thought Saturday was Simeon Caldwell’s first visit to Notre Dame. But if you listened to his words, you’d realize the excitement was based on the fact that he’d confirmed all his initial feelings about the place.
“It was amazing,” the 2026 Florida linebacker/safety said following Saturday’s Junior Day. “It was amazing, amazing as always coming up here. I love South Bend. I love Notre Dame. I love the coaching staff and everyone, so it is great to be back up here.”
The Bolles School standout made a couple trips to South Bend last year and has continuously gushed about Notre Dame since.
“I think I've said this every time that I do any article or report on Notre Dame; it's the people and the coaches,” Caldwell said. “I love the people up here. I love just everybody that I interact with up here, especially Coach (Max) Bullough and Coach (Marcus) Freeman. Being able to spend time with those guys today was just great. Continuing to build those relationships with them is awesome.
“I think it's just being surrounded by like-minded individuals, people who know football isn't everything. Notre Dame has the best of both worlds, academics and athletics. Notre Dame isn't a school for everybody. One of their mottos is to choose hard because the easy path won't lead to the results that you want. So you have to choose hard to get to where you want to be. Being surrounded by people who think the same and have the same goals and will push you and help you get to that is just what makes that place special.”
If anything was most reassuring to the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, it was the discussion he had about the Irish’s defensive coordinator position, which is currently vacant following Al Golden’s return to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“They said that they're in the process of trying to see what they're going to do there and who's going to replace him as DC,” Caldwell explained. “One of the questions was, 'Is the defense going to change with Coach Golden being gone?' He said, 'We don't know,' but they know that I'm still going to be able to fit in regardless.
“They say my versatility can allow me to play in many different defenses depending on what role I have. But he was like, no matter what changes are made to the defenses, they're going to find a way to be able to use me and my skillset.”
That was a relief for Caldwell.
“It's definitely reassuring,” he said. “A lot of questions come up when you're a defensive player and the defensive coordinator leaves and you have questions about is there going to be a change of scheme? There were questions going into the day, but they answered every single one of them and it's very reassuring to know that even with the coaching change, I'm still going to be able to fit in here.”
Caldwell had the chance to reconnect with Irish linebacker commit Thomas Davis Jr., and Irish quarterback commit Noah Grubbs.
“Just talking to them and spending time with them and even some of the other people there is just very cool,” said Caldwell. “It's always cool just to be able to interact with some of the other top recruits in the country because not many people have experienced what we've experienced. I could say probably only 200 2026s have gone through recruiting like we have. So it's very special, very different every time that you get a chance to talk to them.
“Then, especially them here today at Notre Dame, because like I said, the choose-hard mentality that they have, these are also other guys who know that and are going to choose hard just like me. Just being able to spend time with other like-minded people is always great.”
The other special thing about this visit was the fact that he was joined by his father, current Las Vegas Raiders linebacker coach Mike Caldwell.
“This was my dad's first visit up here,” Caldwell said. “He doesn't get a chance to make a lot of visits, so being able to take him on one to a school I'm very interested in is a big part of it. He had a chance to ask some of the questions he had and then build a relationship with Coach Bullough and Coach Freeman, other former linebackers because he coaches linebackers. Just being able to talk football with them and everything. He loved it.
“It is very important. My mom has been everywhere with me while he's working. Being able to go with him in the offseason, being able to take him on any visit, not even Notre Dame, but just being able to take him on any visit is special, but especially here with other former linebackers because he's a former linebacker and a linebacker coach. Being able to take him to a place where some of the coaches are former linebackers and linebacker coaches now, seeing him talk ball with them and everything, it was fun.”
Caldwell doesn’t have any other visits locked in at the moment and isn’t sure what’s next.
“Right now, I don't have anything; not even next week or anything. Nothing is scheduled. Nothing's planned for me right now, so I’m just going with the flow of everything and just seeing where the pieces fall.”
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