The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have done an incredible job bringing in legacy prospects in recent years. That continued Monday afternoon when Julius Jones Jr. committed to Marcus Freeman and Co. while appearing on ESPN’s Pat McAfee show. Originally slated to commit on June 23, he may have moved the timing up as a sign.
As it stands, Notre Dame football put in plenty of work to land the son of legendary Irish running back Julius Jones, who had a memorable career both in South Bend and in the NFL. Jones, now part of the Florida Dame movement, also allows the Irish to continue setting up quite the pipeline to the Sunshine State.
Notre Dame even got some serious peer recruiting help from Zayden Gamble. The defensive back talked earlier about how he’s working to get the legacy prospect to South Bend for good. “I’m putting my blood, sweat, and tears into getting Julius Jones to Notre Dame.” That was certainly a sentiment the coaching staff appreciated. They were also working extra hard to try to get the legacy prospect to call South Bend home.
In recent weeks, the Irish had one main competitor for the 4-star wide receiver’s services. The Miami Hurricanes looked like they were making some progress in keeping the St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) prospect closer to home. However, the wideout, who is ranked No. 66 nationally, No. 14 at his position, and No. 7 in the state of Florida, eventually couldn’t resist the pull to walk in his father’s footsteps.
Julius Jones Jr. strengthens Notre Dame football’s Florida Dame recruiting push
Both Jones' father (Julius) and uncle (Thomas Jones) played in the NFL, with the former finishing his pro career with over 5,000 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints.
Both elder Joneses played running back, which is why Julius Jr.’s rise to prominence as a wide receiver is such an interesting story. He broke out in 2024 during his sophomore season. That year he played in 13 games and tallied 51 catches, 750 receiving yards, 14.7 yards per catch, and 8 receiving touchdowns. Last year, he followed that up with 58 catches, 876 receiving yards, 15.1 yards per catch, and 14 receiving touchdowns.
Julius Jones Jr. has established himself as a speed burner who is on the smaller side, but hasn’t allowed that to come close to killing his confidence. The latest Notre Dame wide receiver commit pairs firm hands with advanced route-running as he mixes gears and snaps off defenders. He’s able to change gears quickly to blow defenders away after the catch, and he can turn quick slants into long touchdowns.
With Monday’s commitment, Notre Dame now has 19 players pledged to it in the 2027 class. Jones pairs with Jackson Coleman at wide receiver, and it’s believed now that, with two, the Fighting Irish are done recruiting the position.
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