What's better than winning a game against the USC Trojans and impressing several high-profile prospects who were in South Bend to watch it go down? Landing a commitment from one of those prospects, like James Halter, who also happens to be a legacy commit.
Halter, a 4-star offensive lineman from the 2027 class, announced his commitment on Tuesday morning. The commitment was a bit of an "out of nowhere" pledge, though he was known as someone who very much liked what he saw from the Fighting Irish the last time he was in town to check out Marcus Freeman and Co.
Halter committed to Notre Dame during that return visit for the game against USC. "I really love the team culture there and it's somewhere that I feel like I fit in very well,” the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. Halter’s father, Jordan, played offensive line for Notre Dame in the 90s, but he also made it clear that it was a neat factor, but not one that factored into the final decision.
Notre Dame lands 4-star offensive lineman James Halter after USC visit
Halter landed his Irish offer during his previous trip to South Bend for the Texas A&M game last month. He chose Notre Dame over offers from schools like Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Pitt, North Carolina, NC State, Duke, Boston College, Indiana, Arkansas, and Auburn, among many others.
He joins what is a growing and improving 2027 class, ranked 10th in the country, according to Rivals. The snag could be the first of many, as the Irish have been getting quite a few predictions for high-end 2027 prospects over the last few weeks. The class could really get a boost if and when one of the best players in the group, Kemon Spell, pulls the trigger on a move he's been hinting at since the weekend.
For now, Notre Dame will be thrilled they landed the big offensive lineman out of Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, PA). He's the fifth commit for Marcus Freeman's 2027 class and the first offensive lineman.