Notre Dame football saw one of its prized recruits end his season prematurely for the second time in a matter of months due to injury.
According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, the Fighting Irish’s 4-star wide receiver commit, Julius Jones Jr., is out for the rest of the 2026 season with a hand injury. Jones, who finished his 2026 campaign with 13 catches for 206 yards and three scores, became St. Thomas Aquinas's all-time wide receiver yards leader, passing Cameron Benson’s career mark of 1,885 total yards earlier this fall.
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound receiver is the son of former Notre Dame and NFL running back Julius Jones Sr. He committed to Notre Dame on June 22, 2026, choosing the Fighting Irish over Miami and Oregon. He now joins quarterback commit Champ Monds as another early-season injury concern for the Fighting Irish.
Monds separated the same shoulder that cut his 2025 campaign short, and while he didn’t have surgery last fall, the quarterback decided he needed to have surgery to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Julius Jones Jr. surgery creates another Notre Dame football injury storyline alongside Champ Monds
While it’s too early to know how long it will take Jones to heal and return to the field, Monds is expected to be fully back by spring practice for Notre Dame. As an early enrollee, he could compete for the starting job next season if current starter CJ Carr declares for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Jones is ranked as the No. 81 player in the 2027 class, the No. 14 player at his position, and the No. 10 player in the state of Florida, according to the latest Rivals Industry Rankings.
As a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2025, Jones caught 58 passes for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per reception, and helped the Raiders finish 14-1 and win their seventh consecutive Florida state championship. Jones led St. Thomas Aquinas in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns and was named to the MaxPreps Junior All-America First Team offense. The year before, as a sophomore in 2024, he caught 51 passes for 750 yards and eight touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.
Jones announced he would undergo surgery, and Notre Dame will have to hope he can compete for playing time in 2027.
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