QB Teddy Jarrard Signs With Notre Dame As Member Of 2026 Class

Teddy Jarrard‍ officially signed with Notre Dame on Wednesday, formalizing his place in the Irish’s 2026 recruiting class after reclassifying from 2027 earlier this cycle.

The quarterback’s signature brings finality to a recruitment that was accelerated after both sides weighed the pros and cons of the Georgia native essentially skipping his senior year of high school to get started in South Bend sooner.

From the outset, Jarrard stood out to the Irish, who would only offer two quarterbacks in the entire class. And despite that offer coming relatively late, last June, Jarrard appreciated the Irish’s deliberate approach. 

And Notre Dame stood out to Jarrard because of its approach at the quarterback position and the overall direction of the program under head coach Marcus Freeman.

Barely a month after receiving the offer, Jarrard pulled the trigger and committed to the Irish over offers from schools like Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson and Indiana among several others. 

“I think Notre Dame has a lot to offer and I think the quarterback position development-wise, it's key and it's an important thing for me,” Jarrard told Irish Sports Daily prior to announcing his commitment.

“I think Coach Freeman's building something great up there.”

Jarrard also pointed to what quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli has accomplished and how that aligned with what he was looking for.

“What Coach Gino's done with the quarterbacks and what Notre Dame is as a program and culture-wise,” Jarrard said. “I think it's important for me to go into a good culture and I think Notre Dame is a great culture for quarterbacks and all players in general.”

Beyond football, academics played a meaningful role in his decision.

“Definitely,” he said. “It's huge. Notre Dame has huge academics and that's a big part of my recruitment. I think that's always a bump.”

Since the moment he committed, Jarrard been had seen by many as the future of the program and eventually, the lure for that future to arrive sooner became clear. 

His recruitment took a decisive turn when Notre Dame approached him about reclassifying, outlining a plan that would move him into the 2026 class and accelerate his development.

“Obviously, there would be a big opportunity after this next year if CJ Carr does go to the NFL,” Jarrard 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.”

Notre Dame framed the move as a way to better position Jarrard for the long term and continued competitions against Blake Hebert, who will be a sophomore in 2026, and Noah Grubbs, who signed with the Irish in December and enrolled last month. 

“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.”

Still, the decision, which Jarrard officially made in December, required careful consideration.

“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.”

For Jarrard, the biggest benefit of reclassifying is the opportunity to begin his development in Notre Dame’s system immediately.

“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.”

Want the latest scoop on the Fighting Irish? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD

Under Armour Kelly Green Notre Dame Fighting Irish Premier Football Jersey