Notre Dame QB Commit Teddy Jarrard Hosts Denbrock, Guidugli
Notre Dame and Teddy Jarrard decided there was no time like the present and so the Georgia quarterback has reclassified and is now a 2026 Irish commit, instead of a 2027 one.
Jarrard didn’t reclassify until after last month’s signing period, so he’s set to sign with the Irish next month.
Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli dropped in on Jarrard last Wednesday as the signal-caller continues the transition between classes.
“They stopped by and visited with my family,” Jarrard told Irish Sports Daily. “It was really just catching up. We’ve known each other forever. We talked some football and what’s going on around everything, some portal stuff and what they envision for me.”
His familiarity with Denbrock and Guidugli remains a major reason Jarrard has stayed locked in with Notre Dame throughout the process.
“I love them,” he said. “That’s why I committed there and that’s why I’m going to be signing there. They’re a huge reason I want to be at Notre Dame. I love what they see in me and what they’re going to do.”
The 2026 quarterback’s reclassification came at Notre Dame’s urging, with the staff laying out a clear developmental path that made the move appealing.
“Obviously, there would be a big opportunity after this next year if CJ Carr does go to the NFL,” he explained. “It's probably this year just compete for that backup job and then after that, the second year, hopefully being able to compete for the starting job.”
Reclassifying accelerated that timeline and gives Jarrard a chance to enter the program earlier than originally planned.
“Notre Dame offered it up to me,” he said. “They thought it would be a good idea to get everybody in there and competing. If I stayed a year behind, I’d be coming in as a true freshman competing for the starting job instead of having a year under my belt. That was their thought process and it ended up being the best decision for me.”
That decision was not made lightly.
“It was tough,” Jarrard said. “I’ve had other schools ask me to do it before and I didn’t want to. High school is important. You only get one senior year. But Notre Dame being where I wanted to be made me think about it harder, and for my future it’s the best decision.”
The biggest advantage, in Jarrard’s view, comes from diving into the offensive scheme right away.
“Getting in and learning the offense,” he said. “Having a better understanding before I’m competing for the starting job. Instead of guys having a year over me, I’ll be on a similar playing field. That’s huge.
“I think the biggest advantage is just being coached and developed early, learning the offense, learning the system and understanding it at a deeper level.”
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