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Jack Kiser has done his part to put himself into the best possible position to be drafted in the NFL Draft this weekend.
Now he just has to wait and see if, when and where his name will be called.
“Super excited,” he said. “It signifies this next turning point in my career and honestly I’m just excited to get somewhere and kind of make a new home, make a new name for myself. After being at Notre Dame for six years, it feels like it’s about time for me to go somewhere else. So just really excited to understand how the process works and that I really have no clue how Thursday, Friday, Saturday are going to occur. But we’re just hoping the sooner, the better, so hopefully I don’t have to wait too long.”
Kiser has a pretty good inkling he will be drafted. If not, he’ll land somewhere as an undrafted free agent. But like all the potential draftees he’s hoping to hear his named called at some point in the draft.
“I think I have a really good chance of getting drafted,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of teams that have a lot of interest and have gotten some really good feedback about where at in the draft they feel comfortable taking me. And so I think it’s pretty comfortable to say that I will be drafted. But at the same time, there’s about 20 different teams that have talked to me and interviewed with me and have expressed a lot of interest. So it could be anywhere from L.A. all the way out to New England. Who knows? It’s you could really end up going anywhere. So we’ll see. And then you never know. There could be a lot of linebackers taken before me and all of a sudden that pushes me up the draft board or maybe linebackers are just not being taken and so that pushes me down the draft board. It just really depends on how the draft goes and who goes early and that can dictate a lot.”
Kiser expects to play a similar linebacker position in the NFL as he did at Notre Dame. He also received a lot of valuable experience playing special teams for the Fighting Irish.
“Every defensive system’s different but most teams that are really interested in me are running the a 4-3, 4-2-5 type defense, and they have me playing the Mike or Will just because that’s what I did at Notre Dame,” he said. “I showed I can play any linebacker position, but then this past year with the green dot I’ve showed I can be that voice on the field and be that coach on the field. And so I think a lot of teams recognize that and really liked that about me for sure.”
Kiser, 24, measured in at 6-foot-2, 231 pounds at the combine in February. He put up good numbers at Notre Dame’s pro day on March 27. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash and put up good numbers overall.
“I went to the combine and didn’t do any testing there but did the drills. And so there was a lot of stress going into pro day of this is kind of putting all your marbles in one bag,” he said. “You don’t get a second chance at this. And so I was really pleased with my workout. I jumped pretty well, ran well. And then my agility I think I had some really good times on. We had a bunch of scouts there. We had some head coaches there, some GMs and to be able to perform in front of them was big time for me.”
The 2025 NFL Draft TV schedule has the first round on Thursday at 8 p.m., with Rounds 2-3 on Friday at 7 p.m., and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday at noon. The broadcasts will be on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
KISER’S STAR TURN
Kiser had a starring role in front of the cameras on Here Come The Irish, a Peacock docuseries about the Notre Dame football team, providing an in-depth look at their lives on and off the field.
“I actually had a couple teams bring that up,” he said. “They were like, ‘how much when the camera’s right in front of your face, how much of that was intimidating? Did you change who you were or whatnot?’ And it was a really cool experience because they were here since last January. And so by the time they actually started filming and being around for all the games and stuff, you were really comfortable with the camera right there. You understood that they weren’t ever going to try to make you look bad, but at the same time they’re just trying to get on camera of who you are as a real person. And so I think they did a really good job of capturing people and telling their stories and showing their genuine self.
“And then for them to take the initiative and ask to come out to Royal Center, Indiana and go to some of the other guys’ houses in Alabama. It was really cool to see that and show that they wanted to highlight the athletes and the student-athletes to the best as they could.”
Kiser proposed to his fiancée, Meagan Chan, during Episode 2.
“I had come up with the idea that I wanted to propose in New York because I knew we were going on what was essentially a marketing tour for Notre Dame there,” he said. “So I went to Coach Freeman and asked and he was like, ‘all right, well, you’ve gotta clear it with our operations and media team.’ So I went and talked to them, and then they were the ones who brought up, ‘well, can we put it on the TV show?’ And at first I was like, no way. Like I can’t do that. I don’t know if Meagan would like that. But the more I talked to people in my family and thought about it, like it would be really special to have that on camera and be able to look back and see that moment for a long time.
“And so initially I was like, ‘yeah, you can record it and video it, but I don’t want to be mic’d up.’ And so it wasn’t really until like the day before where I was like, ‘all right, I probably need to be mic’d up.’ But it was a really cool behind the scenes on that, on that whole planning process, and even the day of it was really cool. Obviously it wasn’t all on the show, but it was just extremely stressful. But at the same time, I was surrounded by my teammates, my head coach and they had my back and were my biggest fans and biggest support system. And they’re like, ‘dude, it’s gonna be amazing. It’s gonna be awesome. She’s gonna say yes, like don’t stress about it.’ And so it was a really great weekend. Obviously she said yes. And that was the best answer, the best thing that could ever happen in my life. And so it made the weekend pretty great for sure.”
Kiser and Chan are high school sweethearts.
“We started dating the June the summer going into my senior year at Pioneer. And so I believe this June will be seven years,” he said.
Chan’s family moved to the area when they purchased China Lane in 2013.
“Their family still has a house in Bolingbrook, Illinois. They had a restaurant there,” Kiser said. “And then they knew the previous owners of China Lane, and they knew they were selling it, so they were like ‘this is a great opportunity for our family.’ And so they bought it and moved to Logansport and then they made the choice to send the girls to Pioneer. And so it worked out pretty well for us.
“They bought the restaurant when she was going into eighth grade, so she grew up working in the restaurant, was a waitress, running the cashier, busing tables, doing it all, her and then her three younger sisters. So she’s a worker for sure.”
Kiser said he also worked at the restaurant from time to time.
“That was always cool to go and help like on Christmas, a couple Christmases I went and helped. I mean, they were just packed. It was so fun,” he said.
Chan’s parents sold and closed China Lane in March of 2024 to spend more time with their older parents and family.
Chan was one of the finalists for the Lilly Scholarship along with Kiser in 2019, which was an award that Kiser went on to win. But Chan has done quite well for herself.
“She’s really, really successful,” Kiser said. “She went to Purdue in finance and did really well. And now she’s a financial consultant for EY. She’s based out of New York City. But obviously when we figure out where I’m heading off to, I think we’ll try to make it to where she can tag along. So fortunate enough, Ernst and Young has locations seemingly everywhere and so it sounds like we’ll be able to make it happen.”
The wedding date is June 20.
MEMORABLE FINAL SEASON
Kiser’s decision to come back to Notre Dame for a sixth season enabled him to star on the Here Come The Irish Show and might help him get drafted into the NFL later this week. But perhaps most importantly it enabled him to be a key member of a team that went 14-2 and reached the National Championship Game.
Kiser was the team’s leading tackler with 90 tackles and his 70 career games played set a new program record.
He talked about his final season at Notre Dame.
“When we go down to Texas A&M and have a great Week 1 win and then to follow it up with the humiliating loss to NIU, you’re looking at yourself like, ‘where’s the season gonna go? What kind of team are we?’” he said. “But I’m really proud of the way the guys came together in the locker room and kind of had that man in the arena mentality to where the only people that really mattered were the guys in the locker room and everybody outside, their thoughts and opinions had no impact on us. And so it turned into a playoff mindset since that Northern Illinois game. And every week we were coming to practice saying, ‘hey, we gotta give whatever we can. We gotta give better because we know we drop another one, our dream of playing for the national championship and winning it isn’t gonna come true.’
“When we stepped on the field against Purdue, we were a different team and we carried that along. I think the other thing is we got better every single game. We got better as the season went on, which a lot of teams that doesn’t always happen. And then when we hit the playoffs, we played our best ball which is what really matters. And so to have some pretty big wins against the SEC champion in the South and then play a really good Penn State team that has a lot of talent in the Orange Bowl and beat them the way we did was just incredible. And then go to the national championship and compete at the highest stage in the biggest game, it was certainly really special. So unfortunate that we didn’t get the full storybook ending, but it was something that was a journey I’ll never forget for sure.”
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Now he just has to wait and see if, when and where his name will be called.
“Super excited,” he said. “It signifies this next turning point in my career and honestly I’m just excited to get somewhere and kind of make a new home, make a new name for myself. After being at Notre Dame for six years, it feels like it’s about time for me to go somewhere else. So just really excited to understand how the process works and that I really have no clue how Thursday, Friday, Saturday are going to occur. But we’re just hoping the sooner, the better, so hopefully I don’t have to wait too long.”
Kiser has a pretty good inkling he will be drafted. If not, he’ll land somewhere as an undrafted free agent. But like all the potential draftees he’s hoping to hear his named called at some point in the draft.
“I think I have a really good chance of getting drafted,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of teams that have a lot of interest and have gotten some really good feedback about where at in the draft they feel comfortable taking me. And so I think it’s pretty comfortable to say that I will be drafted. But at the same time, there’s about 20 different teams that have talked to me and interviewed with me and have expressed a lot of interest. So it could be anywhere from L.A. all the way out to New England. Who knows? It’s you could really end up going anywhere. So we’ll see. And then you never know. There could be a lot of linebackers taken before me and all of a sudden that pushes me up the draft board or maybe linebackers are just not being taken and so that pushes me down the draft board. It just really depends on how the draft goes and who goes early and that can dictate a lot.”
Kiser expects to play a similar linebacker position in the NFL as he did at Notre Dame. He also received a lot of valuable experience playing special teams for the Fighting Irish.
“Every defensive system’s different but most teams that are really interested in me are running the a 4-3, 4-2-5 type defense, and they have me playing the Mike or Will just because that’s what I did at Notre Dame,” he said. “I showed I can play any linebacker position, but then this past year with the green dot I’ve showed I can be that voice on the field and be that coach on the field. And so I think a lot of teams recognize that and really liked that about me for sure.”
Kiser, 24, measured in at 6-foot-2, 231 pounds at the combine in February. He put up good numbers at Notre Dame’s pro day on March 27. He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash and put up good numbers overall.
“I went to the combine and didn’t do any testing there but did the drills. And so there was a lot of stress going into pro day of this is kind of putting all your marbles in one bag,” he said. “You don’t get a second chance at this. And so I was really pleased with my workout. I jumped pretty well, ran well. And then my agility I think I had some really good times on. We had a bunch of scouts there. We had some head coaches there, some GMs and to be able to perform in front of them was big time for me.”
The 2025 NFL Draft TV schedule has the first round on Thursday at 8 p.m., with Rounds 2-3 on Friday at 7 p.m., and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday at noon. The broadcasts will be on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.
KISER’S STAR TURN
Kiser had a starring role in front of the cameras on Here Come The Irish, a Peacock docuseries about the Notre Dame football team, providing an in-depth look at their lives on and off the field.
“I actually had a couple teams bring that up,” he said. “They were like, ‘how much when the camera’s right in front of your face, how much of that was intimidating? Did you change who you were or whatnot?’ And it was a really cool experience because they were here since last January. And so by the time they actually started filming and being around for all the games and stuff, you were really comfortable with the camera right there. You understood that they weren’t ever going to try to make you look bad, but at the same time they’re just trying to get on camera of who you are as a real person. And so I think they did a really good job of capturing people and telling their stories and showing their genuine self.
“And then for them to take the initiative and ask to come out to Royal Center, Indiana and go to some of the other guys’ houses in Alabama. It was really cool to see that and show that they wanted to highlight the athletes and the student-athletes to the best as they could.”
Kiser proposed to his fiancée, Meagan Chan, during Episode 2.
“I had come up with the idea that I wanted to propose in New York because I knew we were going on what was essentially a marketing tour for Notre Dame there,” he said. “So I went to Coach Freeman and asked and he was like, ‘all right, well, you’ve gotta clear it with our operations and media team.’ So I went and talked to them, and then they were the ones who brought up, ‘well, can we put it on the TV show?’ And at first I was like, no way. Like I can’t do that. I don’t know if Meagan would like that. But the more I talked to people in my family and thought about it, like it would be really special to have that on camera and be able to look back and see that moment for a long time.
“And so initially I was like, ‘yeah, you can record it and video it, but I don’t want to be mic’d up.’ And so it wasn’t really until like the day before where I was like, ‘all right, I probably need to be mic’d up.’ But it was a really cool behind the scenes on that, on that whole planning process, and even the day of it was really cool. Obviously it wasn’t all on the show, but it was just extremely stressful. But at the same time, I was surrounded by my teammates, my head coach and they had my back and were my biggest fans and biggest support system. And they’re like, ‘dude, it’s gonna be amazing. It’s gonna be awesome. She’s gonna say yes, like don’t stress about it.’ And so it was a really great weekend. Obviously she said yes. And that was the best answer, the best thing that could ever happen in my life. And so it made the weekend pretty great for sure.”
Kiser and Chan are high school sweethearts.
“We started dating the June the summer going into my senior year at Pioneer. And so I believe this June will be seven years,” he said.
Chan’s family moved to the area when they purchased China Lane in 2013.
“Their family still has a house in Bolingbrook, Illinois. They had a restaurant there,” Kiser said. “And then they knew the previous owners of China Lane, and they knew they were selling it, so they were like ‘this is a great opportunity for our family.’ And so they bought it and moved to Logansport and then they made the choice to send the girls to Pioneer. And so it worked out pretty well for us.
“They bought the restaurant when she was going into eighth grade, so she grew up working in the restaurant, was a waitress, running the cashier, busing tables, doing it all, her and then her three younger sisters. So she’s a worker for sure.”
Kiser said he also worked at the restaurant from time to time.
“That was always cool to go and help like on Christmas, a couple Christmases I went and helped. I mean, they were just packed. It was so fun,” he said.
Chan’s parents sold and closed China Lane in March of 2024 to spend more time with their older parents and family.
Chan was one of the finalists for the Lilly Scholarship along with Kiser in 2019, which was an award that Kiser went on to win. But Chan has done quite well for herself.
“She’s really, really successful,” Kiser said. “She went to Purdue in finance and did really well. And now she’s a financial consultant for EY. She’s based out of New York City. But obviously when we figure out where I’m heading off to, I think we’ll try to make it to where she can tag along. So fortunate enough, Ernst and Young has locations seemingly everywhere and so it sounds like we’ll be able to make it happen.”
The wedding date is June 20.
MEMORABLE FINAL SEASON
Kiser’s decision to come back to Notre Dame for a sixth season enabled him to star on the Here Come The Irish Show and might help him get drafted into the NFL later this week. But perhaps most importantly it enabled him to be a key member of a team that went 14-2 and reached the National Championship Game.
Kiser was the team’s leading tackler with 90 tackles and his 70 career games played set a new program record.
He talked about his final season at Notre Dame.
“When we go down to Texas A&M and have a great Week 1 win and then to follow it up with the humiliating loss to NIU, you’re looking at yourself like, ‘where’s the season gonna go? What kind of team are we?’” he said. “But I’m really proud of the way the guys came together in the locker room and kind of had that man in the arena mentality to where the only people that really mattered were the guys in the locker room and everybody outside, their thoughts and opinions had no impact on us. And so it turned into a playoff mindset since that Northern Illinois game. And every week we were coming to practice saying, ‘hey, we gotta give whatever we can. We gotta give better because we know we drop another one, our dream of playing for the national championship and winning it isn’t gonna come true.’
“When we stepped on the field against Purdue, we were a different team and we carried that along. I think the other thing is we got better every single game. We got better as the season went on, which a lot of teams that doesn’t always happen. And then when we hit the playoffs, we played our best ball which is what really matters. And so to have some pretty big wins against the SEC champion in the South and then play a really good Penn State team that has a lot of talent in the Orange Bowl and beat them the way we did was just incredible. And then go to the national championship and compete at the highest stage in the biggest game, it was certainly really special. So unfortunate that we didn’t get the full storybook ending, but it was something that was a journey I’ll never forget for sure.”
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