Notre Dame in championship special for LSU’s Verge Ausberry | LSU

ATLANTA — Five years ago, Jaiden Ausberry stood on the field as LSU won the national championship. Confetti fell around him, the culmination of an undefeated season.

Ausberry still thinks about that night. Now a Notre Dame linebacker, he hopes to feel that way again Monday night when the Fighting Irish plays Ohio State in the national championship game.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ausberry said, “and hopefully I can experience that again Monday with my teammates as a player.”

Ausberry, the son of longtime LSU athletics official and former linebacker Verge Ausberry, has played in every game while making two starts this season. He ranks fourth on the team with 56 tackles. He has also recorded 6½ tackles for loss, one pass breakup and two fumble recoveries after taking on a larger role as a redshirt freshman.

“He has done a better job of being confident in his play,” Notre Dame senior safety Xavier Watts said. “He’s a talented player. Continuing to grow and trust in the coaches and the plan they have for him has allowed him to grow and get better.”

Ausberry is one of three Louisiana natives in the national championship game, all of them at Notre Dame. Senior safety Jordan Clark, the son of former LSU and NFL safety Ryan Clark, and junior backup running back Dylan Devezin also play for the Fighting Irish.

After transferring from Arizona State, Clark has made 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception and five pass breakups.

For Verge Ausberry, having a son playing in the national championship game makes this one different than anything he has been through before. He won two SEC championships as a player in the late 1980s. While working in LSU’s athletic department for the past 23 years, the Tigers have won five conference titles and three national championships.

Nothing compares to this, he said.

“This one here is more special when it’s your child playing in the game,” Verge Ausberry said. “It’s a different feeling in your gut. The butterflies, getting nervous — almost like you’re playing the game yourself. Because that’s your heart out there.”

Jaiden Ausberry grew up around LSU because of his dad. Verge Ausberry described running backs coach Frank Wilson and cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond as uncles to his son. He got a firsthand look at top players, and then he became a four-star recruit in the 2023 class out of University High himself.

As his sons went through the recruiting process — his oldest, safety Austin Ausberry, transferred to LSU last year after signing with Auburn — Verge Ausberry said he didn’t want to tell them what to do. Jaiden chose Notre Dame, they said, because of his relationship with the coaching staff, the academics and the feeling he got on campus. There was also an element of moving away from home.

“That was something I really thought about as I got older, really just experiencing something new so I could grow as a person and as a football player,” Jaiden Ausberry said. “Just being around new people and making new connections and relationships.”

Verge Ausberry told his son he would never go to a Notre Dame home game in November because of the weather, but then Notre Dame reached the playoff this season. It hosted the first on-campus playoff game Dec. 20 against Indiana.

“Well, it’s December,” Verge recalled his son saying when the game was announced.

“You got me on that one,” he replied.

As Notre Dame continued to win, the Ausberry family went to every game. And when Notre Dame kicked a go-ahead field goal in the Orange Bowl semifinal to reach the national championship, Verge Ausberry threw his hands in the air and thanked God.

“It was almost like I forgot where I was,” he said. “This is my son. Then this feeling comes over you like, ‘Is this real? Am I dreaming? Let me wake up.’ ”

The dream isn’t over yet.