Notre Dame’s 2026 recruiting class arrived with plenty of buzz, and one of the quieter names in the group might end up being one of the more interesting long-term pieces. Cincinnati native Jakobe Clapper, a four-star linebacker and member of the 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School All-American team, comes to South Bend with the kind of range and football IQ that can jump out once he gets fully rolling.
Clapper’s path into fall camp has already been a little different than most. He enrolled early, but a labrum injury kept him out of spring work after surgery.
He has seen what Notre Dame’s pace looks like, but this will be his first real chance to practice in pads and learn on the field with Brian Jean-Mary’s linebackers. That matters, especially for a freshman stepping into a room as deep as this one.
The evaluation on Clapper has long centered on the same traits: he moves well, reads quickly and plays with a feel for space. He was productive at St.
Xavier, one of Ohio’s top programs, and did a little bit of everything there. His best work came as an off-ball linebacker, where his coverage ability, short-area quickness and burst downhill stood out.
He’s also shown the ability to close fast on the football when used on stunts and blitzes. At 6-1, 230 pounds, he isn’t the biggest linebacker in the room, but he has the frame to add more.
For now, the expectation is pretty straightforward: stay healthy, absorb everything and keep building. That’s no small task in a linebacker group that includes returning captain Drayk Bowen and veterans Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaylen Sneed, Jaiden Ausberry and Madden Faraimo. There won’t be many easy reps available, and defensive snaps figure to be tough to come by right away.
Still, there’s a path for Clapper to carve out a role. With the new “five for five” rule in place, there’s less reason to stash a talented freshman who can help on special teams. If he keeps progressing and finishes the offseason strong, he could start pushing for that kind of role sooner rather than later.
A good season for Clapper would mean special teams snaps and a handful of appearances late in games. The physical growth he showed during winter workouts was encouraging, but the missed spring means he’s starting from behind. Even so, the talent is there for him to become a factor on special teams this season for Marty Biagi, and eventually challenge for more.
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