Notre Dame transfer safety JaDon Blair commits to Mizzou

Notre Dame transfer safety JaDon Blair found a new home in the Southeastern Conference. Blair, who will be redshirt freshman in 2026 with four years of eligibility, committed to Missouri on Tuesday.

Blair played 19 snaps on defense as a true freshman in 2025, all during the back end of a 70-7 blowout victory over Syracuse. According to Blue & Gold‘s Mike Singer, Blair was likely unhappy with his playing time in a crowded safety room that featured Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson and Luke Talich — all of whom can return to South Bend next season.

Notre Dame also had fellow freshman safety Ethan Long, who played in 2 games and intercepted a pass against Syracuse, ahead of Blair on the depth chart. Long has a chance to contribute in a depth role as a redshirt freshman in 2026, alongside incoming five-star freshman Joey O’Brien.

Blair, on the other hand, gets a fresh start at a program that has won 29 games over the past three seasons under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. Missouri lost both its starting safeties, Marvin Burks Jr. (transfer portal) and Jalen Catalon (graduation), opening up a spot for Blair to potentially step into the starting lineup.

The Tigers will have to replace most of their defense as a whole, but they will return veteran safety Santana Banner. Blair should have every opportunity to compete for playing time in Columbia, Mo., especially given that he committed to Mizzou without visiting any other schools. Blair posted his offer from the Tigers on Saturday, visited Monday-Tuesday and committed on the spot.

Standing 6-foot-5 with wide receiver-like ball skills, Blair was a coveted recruit in the 2025 class. He was the No. 115 overall player and No. 11 safety according to the 2025 Rivals Industry Ranking, and he chose the Irish over Florida State, Michigan, Louisville, Penn State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.

“He’s certainly the biggest safety among national prospects at the position,” Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power said of Blair. “He’s over 6-4 and 190 pounds with 33-inch arms. He has a big frame, and he’s going to continue to fill out. He has really fluid movement skills at that size and can play multiple safety spots in the secondary.”

Blair is the fifth Notre Dame transfer to commit to a new school, following quarterback Kenny Minchey (Kentucky), quarterback Anthony Rezac (South Dakota State), defensive end Joshua Burnham (Indiana) and running back Gi’Bran Payne (Cincinnati). Ten others, including walk-ons, remain in the portal.