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Brayden Jones has verbally committed to swim for the University of Notre Dame beginning with the 2026-27 school year. He publicized the news on social media, writing:
I am extremely grateful and excited to announce my verbal commitment to further pursue my academic and athletic career at The University of Notre Dame! I would like to thank God for giving me the ability to be here, and his plan of getting me here. I want to thank everyone that has been a part of my journey to this point. I would like to thank my parents for sacrificing so much along side me. Along with my coaches and especially @coleystickels for getting me to this stage. Finally thank you to my teammates at TFA and previous at Prosper. A special thanks to @kameron_chastain and @ndcoach_chris_lindauer_ for bringing me to the @ndswimdive family! GO IRISH!
A senior at Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas, Jones was a member of his school’s varsity swimming & diving team for his first two years. He currently swims year-round with Texas Ford Aquatics, where he specializes in sprint freestyle and backstroke.
Jones has steadily improved each year of his career. In the past 12 months, he has dropped from 48.43 to 48.05 in the 100 back, 1:48.32 to 1:47.12 in the 200 back, 45.54 to 45.22 in the 100 free, and 1:38.81 to 1:37.84 in the 200 free; his 50 free best of 20.70 dates back to December 2023, but he hasn’t put much emphasis on it over the past few seasons.
At the high school level, Jones made an impact at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A State meets. As a freshman, he placed 20th in the 100 back, then broke through as a sophomore with a pair of ‘A’ finals, finishing fourth in the 100 back and eighth in the 100 free.
On the club scene, one of his best meets to date came at last March’s Speedo Sectionals, where he racked up three top-16 finishes: third in the 100 back in 48.81, 10th in the 200 back, and 12th in the 100 free, with the latter two in his current best times. He also placed 25th in the 200 free in 1:39.50 and 29th in the 50 free in 21.34.
Jones most recently competed at the Winter Junior Championships, his fourth appearance at the meet. He made the final of the 100 back, placing 13th in 48.18 after recording his personal best in prelims. He also posted season bests, touching 70th in the 200 back in 1:50.16 and 129th in the 100 free in 46.49. Prior to 2025, his best finish at the meet was 45th in the 100 back from 2024, his only top-100 result.
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 20.70
- 100 Freestyle: 45.22
- 200 Freestyle: 1:37.84
- 100 Backstroke: 48.05
- 200 Backstroke: 1:47.12
The Notre Dame men’s and women’s programs are under the guidance of first-year head coach Michael Norment. Norment took over from Chris Lindauer, the former Notre Dame head coach who was named the head coach of the Stanford women’s team in May.
The men’s program is in the midst of a reset following a suspension for the 2024-25 season. While the swim team was suspended for the 2024-25 season, they sent one diver, Benedict Nguyen, to the NCAA Championships, placing 29th on platform. Prior to the suspension, they finished second at the 2024 ACCs and 10th at NCAAs, both program highs.
For context, it took times of 19.41/42.78/1:34.41 to score in the freestyles and 46.71/1:42.64 in the backstrokes. On paper, his best shot to score as an underclassman appears to be the 100 back.
On the team’s current depth charts, Jones would rank fourth in the 100 back, fifth in the 100 free, sixth in the 50 free, and seventh in the 200 back and 200 free. His versatility will make him a valuable dual-meet option, and with continued improvement, he could become a mainstay on the Fighting Irish’s relays over the next few years.
Joining Jones in Notre Dame’s class of 2030 are Finn Martin (20.1/44.3 sprint freestyler), James Darcy (distance free), Grant Lilly (IM/distance free), and Ryan Quinn (fly/IM).
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