Plenty of Notre Dame football prospects are already quite familiar with the program by the time they receive an offer. Dontaye Day-Thompson didn’t need an introduction when the coaching staff reached out and made it clear they wanted him in South Bend for several years.
When he got the offer, it came from one of his dream schools. The Irish have been on Day-Thompson's radar long before his recruitment began. That’s why the offer he got earlier this month was so big. One of the biggest, in fact.
“I've been watching it since I was little, and one of my favorite running backs is Jeremiyah Love,” he told Irish Sports Daily. “That's what makes it one of my favorites.”
Day-Thompson learned of his Notre Dame offer during a phone call with the Irish staff. “They said a lot of good things, asked me how I like the school and then offered me,” the prospect added.
Jeremiyah Love connection boosts Notre Dame football pursuit of Dontaye Day-Thompson
Dontaye Day-Thompson is a 3-star wide receiver in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete plays for Atlantic City High School in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While he also plays defensive back, it appears that the Fighting Irish see him as a fit at wide receiver.
Day-Thompson is still somewhat under the radar, but he’s starting to pick up speed. In addition to Notre Dame, his offer list includes Alabama, Boston College, Delaware State, Nebraska, Penn State, Syracuse, and Temple. Syracuse became his first Power Four offer in January 2025, while Alabama, Penn State, and several other major programs joined his recruitment over the last few months.
Looking ahead, Day-Thompson said he plans to visit Rutgers during the first weekend of October. He is also working toward his first visit to Notre Dame during the 2026 season after receiving an offer from the Fighting Irish on September 22. No specific Notre Dame game date had been finalized, but Day-Thompson said he wanted to make a game-day trip to South Bend to see the campus and spend more time around the coaching staff.
It’s clear that Day-Thompson has the kind of talent that more and more Power programs are interested in. As a sophomore at Atlantic City, Day-Thompson recorded 540 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. He also scored one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and one special-teams touchdown, giving him production in several roles for the Vikings.
Notre Dame has just a few home games left this season, but it stands to reason that it will be locking down a visit this fall.
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