Four-star safety Zayden Gamble commits to Notre Dame football over Miami

Notre Dame has gone into South Florida and landed a major commitment. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas class of 2027 safety Zayden Gamble has announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish.

The four-star prospect’s recruitment was seen as a Miami and Florida battle for quite some time. He visited the local Hurricanes at least 10 times. Ohio State made a move for him earlier in the spring. But those three programs ultimately finished as finalists.

Gamble — the No. 177 overall player and No. 13 safety in America according to the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking — announced his commitment to the Irish on April 25.

“The opportunities at Notre Dame — they don’t compare to anybody else,” Gamble told Rivals’ Chad Simmons about picking the Irish. “And that’s the defense I want to play for. It is the staff I want to play for. I want to play for Coach [Marcus] Freeman and be part of that brotherhood.”

Gamble only needed one visit to know he wanted to call South Bend home for his collegiate career. The Irish offered a scholarship in April 2025 and recruited him hard but always seemed on the outside looking in among his top schools. But the Notre Dame staff kept working on him, and he visited for the first time on March 21, 2026.

“I know I’ll become a better man when I leave Notre Dame, not just on the field, but off the field,” Gamble added. “I’ll develop into another human I would never imagine myself being.”

Gamble becomes Notre Dame’s 10th commitment in the 2027 class and fourth defensive back pledge, joining cornerbacks Ace Alston and Xavier Hasan, along with safety John Gay III, a fellow South Florida native who pledged to the Irish April 22.

Georgia, Florida State, Indiana, LSU, Michigan and Texas A&M were among the other schools on his long offer sheet.

“What puts Notre Dame so high on my list is the combination of academics and sports,” Gamble previously said. “The brotherhood and the bond I’ve built with the coaches, players and commits also stands out. Notre Dame is very different from every other school because not everybody can go to Notre Dame. But every Notre Dame player could go everywhere.”

More details on new Notre Dame commit Zayden Gamble

Notre Dame safeties coach Jevaughn Codlin offered him a scholarship last April while he was an analyst, but in the winter, he was hired as North Texas’ new safeties coach. After just two months, Notre Dame hired him back as its new safeties coach.

Codlin’s presence was huge in this recruitment, and it’s another strong recruiting win for new defensive backs coach Aaron Henry, another key figure in the Irish’s pursuit of Gamble.

Gamble is the first recruit Notre Dame has signed from St. Thomas Aquinas since linebacker Drew White back in the 2017 class, and the Irish would love nothing more than to build a pipeline at the private Catholic school. It’s won seven straight state championships and has had a premier football program nationally for decades.

The Irish have more targets at St. Thomas Aquinas, including one of Gamble’s best friends. That would be none other than Julius Jones Jr., a Notre Dame legacy who ranks as the No. 84 overall player and No. 15 wideout in America. Gamble’s commitment can only help the Irish in their chase to land Jones.

“Julius Jones is one of my best friends, and we have definitely considered playing college ball together,” Gamble told Blue & Gold after his March visit. “If that’s what God brings us, then yes, but it’s his decision separately from my decision. But if we are fortunate enough to play with each other, that would be amazing.”

Notre Dame’s academics were a major factor in Gamble’s commitment.

“Education is probably the No. 1 reason I’d pick a school,” Gamble previously said. “That’s more important than relationships. Academics is a big part of your life after football, so if I go to an academically-gifted school, it can benefit me more than how I’m playing on the field.”

Gamble originally planned to officially visit his four finalists, and just 10 days earlier, on April 15, he posted on social media that he’d commit on July 16 — his 18th birthday.

“I just love that blue and gold being at St. Thomas,” he said. “There’s always a standard, and I see that in Notre Dame. The tradition. Notre Dame is just like my high school, St. Thomas Aquinas. I envision Notre Dame as somewhere I’ve already been. So, I feel like I’m ready for it.”

The Zayden Gamble file

He had a strong 13-game junior season, posting 65 stops (3 for loss), 3 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble and 1 blocked field goal and was named to the 2025 MaxPreps Junior All-America second-team defense.

Gamble has been a key member of the Raiders’ last two Florida 5A state championship teams. St. Thomas Aquinas finished as the No. 8 team in America and No. 2 in Florida in 2025, according to the Massey Ratings.

His father, David, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994 and was part of the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl team in 1998. He played collegiately for New Hampshire.

Gamble was selected to play in the 2026 Under Armour All-America Game as a high school junior. He recorded 3 stops, 1 tackle for loss and 1 pass breakup in the game.