Notre Dame football hosted 2026 safety/linebacker target Simeon Caldwell on a visit last Saturday, and he left a positive impression on the coaching staff per @Tyler James' visitors intel.
Caldwell reports 18 total offers including Florida State, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M. This was Caldwell's first visit to ND since picking up an offer last month on Pot of Gold Day.
Per Rivals, Caldwell is the No. 106 overall player and No. 7 safety in the 2026 recruiting class. The Irish view him as a safety or linebacker at the college level. From our conversation, I've gathered Caldwell has struck up the closest relationship with defensive coordinator Al Golden thus far in his recruitment.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Caldwell attends Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles and is the son of Las Vegas Raiders defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach Mike Caldwell.
I connected with Simeon on Monday night to speak about his visit, connection with the staff, interest going forward and more.
On his experience:
"The visit was amazing, it feels like I went on a perfect day," Simeon told Inside ND Sports. "To be able to witness their jersey scrimmage was awesome. I spent some time with [head] coach [Marcus] Freeman and Golden but I would say I spent most of my time with [linebackers] coach [Max] Bullough. I was able to see the intensity of the practice and competitiveness of the players, and campus was very beautiful. Despite Notre Dame being a smaller school, the campus was very big and has lots of historical buildings."
On Freeman and Golden:
"I loved coach Freeman and coach Golden as well as the entire coaching staff. Despite it being my first time meeting them in person, I felt so natural and comfortable talking to them. Being in the team meeting let me see the trust and confidence the coaches have in the players. In my individual meetings, they made it clear I was one of their top priorities in the class and that seeing my body in person, they think I have the ability to play both safety and linebacker."
On how the visit resonated with him after leaving:
"They made sure I left my visit knowing that if I decided to go to school there, I would be getting the best of both worlds in not only top-level football but that I'll also be attending one of the top non-Ivy League schools in the country. Getting on the plane back to Jacksonville was kind of a little disappointing because it felt like the visit was so short ... but that just means I definitely have to make a return trip to South Bend."
As a sophomore, Simeon totaled 137 tackles (93 solo) and 11 for loss. He also had five quarterback hurries, two blocked punts, two interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Texas, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio State hosted Simeon on unofficial visits earlier this spring.
Link to full story:
InsideNDSports - 2026 four-star defender Simeon Caldwell enthusiastic after Notre Dame visit
2026 LB/S Simeon Caldwell, a four-star in the Rivals250, recaps his first Notre Dame visit.
notredame.rivals.com
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