Notre Dame added another national name to its 2028 board last week when Dedrick Kimbrough received an offer from the Irish.
The 2028 Alabama wide receiver picked up the scholarship after connecting with wide receivers coach Mike Brown and Director of Player Personnel Kenny Sanders along with other members of the staff.
“They had told my coaches beforehand,” Kimbrough said. “I had been talking to them previously, so I was kind of expecting it, but still glad they got that out.”
The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder said the offer stood out for multiple reasons.
“They don't really offer guys who are my age,” he said. “That by itself just stood out to me. Guys from my area, they don't really see that offer, and I'm just glad to finally have that connection to a program like Notre Dame.
“I've been waiting on that one for a while actually. They've always been one of my favorites.”
The Thompson High School standout has been drawn to the program for a while.
“From a coaching standpoint, just as a player looking now, I love how they coach their players,” he said. “Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious programs in the country and they're known for producing not only great players, but great young men.”
Kimbrough has previous familiarity with Sanders from Sanders’ time at Penn State and has continued building that relationship while getting to know Brown.
“I love his energy,” Kimbrough said of Brown. “He seems to know a lot about the game and just seems like a coach I could be developed by and see myself playing for.”
A visit to South Bend is the next step.
“I've never been up there on campus,” he said. “I heard it's a beautiful place to be, so I definitely want to come check that out as soon as I can.”
In addition to Notre Dame, Kimbrough holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Washington among others.
Florida and Vanderbilt are among the schools he plans to visit this spring, along with Alabama, Florida State and Miami.
Fit off the field will carry significant weight throughout the process for the Alabaster, Ala., native.
“Other than football, really just how can I live my life outside of football, in the classroom? I feel like at Notre Dame, I can be a great student as well as a player. They have great backup plans in case my dream of playing in the NFL doesn't work out. I can have the satisfaction of knowing that I have a great plan.”
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 Navy Notre Dame Fighting Irish Hockey Leprechaun Fleece
