After two seasons with Colorado Buffaloes, assistant director of recruiting Jourdan Blake has left coach Deion Sanders’ staff for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Blake will join coach Marcus Freeman’s staff in South Bend as his new director of player personnel.
The Colorado Buffaloes, led by coach Deion Sanders, have lost a key member of their recruiting team to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
On Tuesday, Notre Dame announced the appointment of Jourdan Blake as its new director of player personnel. Blake previously served as Colorado’s assistant director of player personnel and high school relations for the past two seasons, playing a crucial role in helping “Coach Prime” enhance the Buffaloes’ roster.
At Notre Dame, Blake will collaborate with coach Marcus Freeman and general manager Mike Martin. The program recently concluded an impressive run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, where Freeman’s Fighting Irish triumphed over the Indiana Hoosiers, Georgia Bulldogs, and Penn State Nittany Lions in the inaugural 12-team CFP, before ultimately falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the championship match.
Blake, a former defensive back at Baylor and SMU, is advancing in the college football recruiting scene. His career post-football started at SMU, where he served as the recruiting coordinator from 2019 to 2021. He then moved to TCU in 2022, the same year the Horned Frogs faced Georgia in the CFP National Championship Game.
After a short return to SMU as the director of recruiting operations, Blake joined coach Sanders’ staff before the 2023 season. During his tenure with the Buffaloes, he played a significant role in helping Colorado improve from a one-win team in 2022 to a 4-8 record in 2023, and then to 9-4 this past season. According to his LinkedIn profile, Blake also worked as a scouting intern with the NFL’s Houston Texans over the summer.
Blake comes from a notable football background, being the son of the late John Blake, who was the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners until his passing in 2020. John served as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line coach from 1993 to 1995 before taking the helm at Oklahoma from 1996 to 1998. During those three years, the Sooners recorded a combined record of 12-22.
In contrast to Colorado, which has made headlines for its successful transfer portal strategy under “Coach Prime,” Notre Dame has primarily focused on recruiting high school players in recent years. Freeman recently secured 24 pledges from the class of 2025, resulting in Notre Dame’s signing class being ranked 12th nationally (according to 247Sports). The Fighting Irish also have seven commitments for the class of 2026, including three four-star recruits.
Despite the loss of quarterback Riley Leonard and other key players, Notre Dame is expected to remain competitive in 2025, with ESPN ranking them 4th in its early college football top 25 power rankings.
Colorado has signed 14 recruits for the class of 2025 but is still looking for its first commitment for the class of 2026. In this 2025 class, “Coach Prime” emphasized quality over quantity, securing notable signings like quarterback Julian Lewis, offensive linemen Chauncey Gooden and Carde Smith, wide receiver Adrian Wilson, and defensive lineman London Merritt.
Only time will reveal how the loss of Blake will affect Colorado’s future recruiting efforts.
Leave a Reply