Notre Dame recruiting staffer Jourdan Blake is leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders, he confirmed on social media Saturday afternoon.
Blake was Notre Dame’s director of player personnel, and he most recently held the title of “director of recruiting logistics.” He will be a player personnel assistant with the Raiders.
With the Irish, Singer reported that Blake’s organizational, communication and recruiting skills greatly helped the player personnel operation. During his time working under general manager Mike Martin in South Bend, Notre Dame built the No. 2 recruiting class in the country in 2026 and is currently finalizing another No. 2 recruiting class nationally in 2027.
Blake was one of Martin’s first hires, joining the Irish in March 2025.
“Regarding the organizational aspect of his job, it’s Blue & Gold’s understanding that Blake is instrumental in planning visit weekends with regards to coordinating meetings with recruits and coaches,” Singer wrote in November. “Blake also handles much of the scheduling for the ND coaches’ recruiting travel during bye weeks and the offseason.
“His ties to Texas and relationships with agents and trainers nationwide keep him dialed in on high school recruit and transfer portal developments, and he’s able to get to the bottom of situations quickly. While others in the Irish personnel office are more forward-facing in recruiting, Blake still gets on the phone with recruits and builds relationships while doing his work behind the scenes as well.
“‘Jourdan is my guy,’ Notre Dame four-star safety commit [now freshman] Ayden Pouncey told Blue & Gold. “He was my tour guide for my first visits to South Bend. He’s like family now. We created a really good connection; I talk to him on the phone every week or every couple of weeks.”
“‘Jourdan is really cool and very helpful,’ Notre Dame four-star running back commit [now freshman] Javian Osborne said. ‘He’s been good to my family and has answered questions. He’s one of those guys that’s like a older cousin that you’re very close with. He’s easy to relate to.’”
Before Notre Dame, Blake was an assistant director of player personnel with the Buffaloes under head coach Deion Sanders, a role he held from 2023-25. According to Colorado’s website, he specialized in high school relations.
Before Colorado, Blake was the director of recruiting operations at SMU from 2022-23. That was his second stint with the Mustangs; his first came as their recruiting coordinator from 2019-21. Between his two SMU jobs, Blake worked as the recruiting coordinator at TCU in 2022.
Blake also gained NFL experience as a scouting intern with the Houston Texans in July 2024.
Blake played cornerback for Baylor from 2014-17 and SMU in 2018. He finished his career with 7 tackles (including 1 tackle for loss), and a pass breakup in 26 games played, including 2 starts. He was primarily a special teamer in college, before he transitioned to the recruiting office with the Mustangs in 2019.
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