Jaiden Ausberry gets ‘best of both worlds’ at Notre Dame
BATON ROUGE, La. (BVM) — Jaiden Ausberry was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His father, Verge, played football at LSU. He grew up loving the 2011 Tiger team.
But now, as a high school senior at University Lab School, Ausberry is a Notre Dame football pledge.
Ranked as the No. 138 player in the country according to 247 Sports, Ausberry could not pass up the opportunity given by Marcus Freeman in South Bend.
“My family and I connected with him on a personal level,” Ausberry said. “With the academic and athletic aspect of it, you really can’t get any better. It’s the best of both worlds.”
For a lot of four-star recruits, the academic side of things is not prioritized. But for the coveted linebacker who comes from a family of educators, this was near the top of the list.
“It’s really big in my household,” Ausberry said.
Ever since he started playing the game of football, he has had aspirations of using it to get a free education and ultimately, get to the NFL.
He has turned these goals into expectations for himself, which is the mindset needed to get to that premier level.
“I don’t find any reason in playing a sport if you don’t want to make it to the pros,” Ausberry said. “I’ve dreamed about that forever.”
While the thought of playing big-time college football could easily get to someone’s head, it is the opposite for Ausberry. While he knows there are extra eyes looking in his direction, he sees that as a responsibility to act the right way.
“I’ve never really let it get to me,” Ausberry said. “I’ve just remained the same person throughout the process as I’ve always been throughout my entire life.”
While these are all personal goals, it seems like big ambitions are the common denominator amongst the Ausberry family.
Outside of his father’s football career, Jaiden’s older brother, Austin, is currently a freshman on the football team at Auburn.
“They’re always pushing me to be my best,” Jaiden said.
Last season, the Ausberry brothers formed to be the most dynamic duo in Louisiana, leading the Cubs to a state title.
Throughout his junior campaign, Jaiden tallied 94 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and four sacks.
With the combination of being able to win a championship with his brother and winning one for University Lab’s first-year coach Andy Martin, this feat stands out for Jaiden more so than any of his individual accomplishments.
“It really meant a lot to me, the team and the school,” Jaiden said.
Ausberry still has his ultimate goal of making it to the National Football League, but he is not getting ahead of himself, setting up lofty goals for his Notre Dame career.
This includes being a Freshman All-American while having a 3.5 GPA and making the honor roll.
While Ausberry looks to triumph on the football field, he will be taking full advantage of all that Notre Dame has to offer in the classroom as well.
