Julius Jones Jr. was already one of the biggest scores in Notre Dame football’s 2027 recruiting class. Now that he’s shared just how close he was to going elsewhere, the Fighting Irish should be proud of how they pulled off the Blue Chip wide receiver’s commitment.
Jones eventually followed in his father’s footsteps and committed to Marcus Freeman’s squad, along with his younger brother. However, the son of former standout running back Julius Jones came very close to forging his own path. He recently told On3’s Mike Singer that the Golden Domers had to come from behind to secure his pledge.
“For a long time, it was Oregon,” Jones told Singer. The 4-star prospect even considered committing to the Ducks much earlier than he eventually did make the announcement. Dan Lanning and his staff had all but beaten down Notre Dame and stolen a legacy prospect that would have required some ‘splainin to do from position coach Mike Brown and Freeman.
Perhaps only because he’s a legacy prospect, he held off on pulling the trigger. He shed light on why he picked South Bend as his future home when he committed in June on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show.
Julius Jones Jr. ended up following in his father's footsteps with a commitment to Notre Dame, but the Irish had to come from behind to land him ‼️☘️
— Mike Singer (@MikeTSinger) August 20, 2026
“For a long time, it was Oregon.”
Jones opens up on his decision: https://t.co/NPImZ8wbjo pic.twitter.com/pEXMHx5zKY
Julius Jones Jr. gives Notre Dame football another blue-chip recruiting win over Oregon
"It's just the mystique of Notre Dame -- there's only one in the world," Julius Jones Jr. told McAfee. "When I was up there, I felt it, and it felt different from what they can do for me now to when I'm done with football."
Showing Jones the mystique of the Fighting Irish and everything the program has to offer was a stroke of luck considering just how good a prospect he is. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound 4-star wide receiver from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is currently ranked No. 77 in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
As a junior in 2025, Jones caught 58 passes for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per reception while helping St. Thomas Aquinas win another Florida state championship. Through his first three varsity seasons, he totaled 120 receptions for 1,843 yards and 24 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.
Jones also continued the Florida Dame movement that Freeman and his staff have staged over the last few years. The Irish have made a practice of convincing some of the best players in the Sunshine State that a recruiting pipeline to the middle of the country is no big deal. In the process, continued commitments from Florida help each new addition feel part of a close-knit community in South Bend.
There is, of course, the added bonus that Notre Dame beat out Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks for Julius Jones Jr., one of the most successful programs on the recruiting front over the last few classes.
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