Georgia Defender Kelan Butler Is High On The Notre Dame Radar

Georgia has been a state that Notre Dame wants to make an impact in more frequently under Marcus Freeman. In the 2025 recruiting class, one of the top defenders in the entire class is Jefferson (Ga.) High School pass rusher Kelan Butler.

The Irish staff has been trying their best to get in with the Georgia star, who is the teammate of one time 2024 linebacker target Sammy Brown. Butler does have a good early impression of the Notre Dame brand and the staff is doing their best to get him up to campus this summer.

"Notre Dame holds a lot of weight anywhere,” Butler told Irish Breakdown. “Everyone knows Notre Dame. I’ve talked to Notre Dame a little bit over the phone but I wasn't able to come up there because when I was up North, I didn’t have enough time to see Notre Dame because of the dead period. I do want to try and go see the campus sometime soon.”

The staff was out to see the talented defender during the open period. Again, they left a promising impression.

"(Al Golden) talked briefly before the dead period,” said Butler. "He seemed like a real good guy and I wish I could've made it up in time. I’m looking forward to getting to know the class better.”

That visit could come later this month but hasn’t been finalized yet. There are a ton of impressive schools who would love him to visit as well.

"Everything has been going good but I've started to push it to the side because of the big season we have coming ahead,” Butler explained. "I might head up to a couple school’s get cookouts, including Notre Dame, but I don't know for sure yet.

"Some schools that have been recruiting me pretty hard I'd say are Michigan, Tennessee, Michigan State, Texas A&M and Arkansas,” he added. "All have been in contact very frequently.”

This will be a difficult recruitment for Notre Dame. Butler is clearly a player that the staff is valuing tremendously.

Butler is rated as a four-star recruit by both 247Sports and ESPN. The latter has him ranked as the No. 242 overall player and No. 28 linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class. Similarly 247Sports has Butler pegged as the No. 245 overall player and No. 22 linebacker in the class. Both outlets have him ranked as a top 30 player in the state of Georgia.

The 6-3, 225-pound defender, not surprisingly, has been hearing from several top programs in college football. Some of the premier offers that Butler currently holds includes the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Tennessee, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville and Georgia Tech among several others.

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