Class Impact: Quarterback Teddy Jarrard Picks Notre Dame

Notre Dame remains red hot on the recruiting trail, but this time the Irish are hitting the 2027 class with Georgia quarterback Teddy Jarrard committing to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out Ohio State, Georgia, Penn State and Michigan to land the North Cobb (Ga.) High School standout.

It is a huge pickup for the Irish and a great way to kick off the offensive class. Let's break down how the commitment of Jarrard impacts the Notre Dame 2027 recruiting class and the Irish depth chart.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Jarrard is the third player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class, joining big time linebacker Ellis McGaskin and the nation's top long snapper in Sean Kraft. Jarrard is the first offensive player in the class, but he certainly won't be the last.

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Notre Dame has been on a roll recruiting the quarterback position since Marcus Freeman took over as head coach. The Irish have landed Kenny Minchey (2023), CJ Carr (2024), Blake Hebert (2025) and Noah Grubbs (2026) since Freeman was hired. Carr graded out as a five-star recruit on the Irish Breakdown board and Minchey, Hebert and Grubbs all graded out as a four-star prospect. Notre Dame needed to keep that going in the 2027 class, and they did so with Jarrard.

When you recruit as well at a position as Notre Dame has at quarterback you need to try and land high level talent year after year, and Jarrard already has a 4.5-star upside grade, which is that of a Top 50-75 player. There is still plenty of time for him to improve his current grade and upside grade, but the foundation is already strong.

Landing a talented and highly ranked quarterback also helps the rest of the class, as quarterbacks tends to be ring leaders. Jarrard gives the Irish a Top 100 recruit that recently dominated a national camp, and him picking Notre Dame will certainly catch the attention of top wide receiver prospects as well as top offensive line, tight end and running back prospects.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Notre Dame likes quarterbacks that can do a little bit of everything, but the primary traits you need in a Mike Denbrock led offense are the ability to throw the ball at a very high level. Jarrard will need a lot of technical work - which is expected of a player who has yet to reach his junior season of high school - but the tools to be a big time passer are there. He is a smart young quarterback, he is willing to attack down the field, he plays with swagger and he shows the leadership traits you want in a young quarterback. Jarrard is a good athlete as well, but that is a part of his game he's still developing in regard to using that athleticism to be more impactful. His game isn't close to being maxed out, and as he continues to develop you'll see a quarterback with the potential to do major damage with his arm.

FILM ANALYSIS

Jarrard certainly has the frame you want in a talented passing quarterback. He's listed at 6-3 and 195-pounds already, and with his long levers and frame he'll easily get to at least 210-215 pounds. He shows good strength despite still being on the thin side, but as he matures physically and gains strength you'll see him become even more stout in the pocket. You will also see the drive on the ball improve, which is part of what makes him such an intriguing prospect.

Jarrard has a quick, whipping throwing motion that generates a lot of natural power. He double pats the ball more than I like and he has long levers, but the natural tools are there. When he drives off his back foot the ball really explodes out of his hand. He can drive the ball downfield, can fit it into tight spaces and he has an impressive ability to throw on the run. Jarrard has a bit of a gunslinger mentality, which is something that has worked out well for Denbrock in the past. He's willing to take risks, but as a sophomore he showed much better decision making, which is why he cut down on his interceptions, going from 11 as a freshman to just five last season.

The North Cobb quarterback is still on the thin side and as stated above there's a lot of room to fill out and get stronger. What entices me about Jarrard is that he does have a lot of room to grow and develop, because as good as his arm is now it is going to get a lot stronger as he physically matures. That's why his upside is so great and plays a role into why the Notre Dame staff pushed so hard for him. He's a good quarterback already, but he will get a lot better.

Jarrard completed over 70-percent of his passes as a sophomore, so he certainly completes passes at a high level. That was a big jump from the 58.8-percent rate he had as a freshman. Where I want to see Jarrard improve is with his ball placement specifically, which is the ability to put the ball into more specific areas on a pass catcher. Instead of hitting a guy in the chest, sometimes it's better to throw the ball on the back shoulder, or down and away, or on the hip, etc. As Jarrard matures as a player he'll show an even better feel for this, but he also needs to improve his footwork.

In game film you'll see a tendency for Jarrard to transition his weight to his front foot way too early, which closes off his hips and causes him to fight his upper body a bit. This impacts his ability to drive the ball and impacts his ball placement. At times it causes his throws to die a bit as they near the receiver and it saps some of his power in those instances. Improving that will allow him to get even more power on the ball, allow him to be more consistent with his ball placement and it will unlock his game and allow it to really explode. If he works on this I think his overall skillset will take a huge jump and I could see him jumping into five-star territory.

Jarrard processes well for his age and as stated above he improved as a decision maker as a sophomore. His feel for the game is strong and he should be able to pick up the Notre Dame offense well. He's a quality athlete that can use his legs to buy time in the pocket and will even tuck it and run occasionally. As he develops his game I expect his ability to use his legs to avoid pressure, buy time and get out of the pocket to improve. I also expect him to continue getting better and better as a scrambler.