The Notre Dame football team has long made a habit of recruiting legacy prospects. Some of those legacies are sons or grandsons of former Irish players. Others are sons or grandsons of former NFL stars. Xander Edwards fits both categories. One of the top running backs in the 2028 class, Xander is the son of famed Irish running back Marc Edwards, who rushed for 1,591 yards and 27 touchdowns in four seasons from 1993 to 1996. He also played nine seasons in the NFL, including for the 2001 Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
The younger Edwards stars at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he is coming off a monster sophomore season. The 4-star 2028 running back is ranked No. 108 nationally, No. 6 at running back, and No. 15 in Florida according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.
Notre Dame obviously hopes that his father’s ties to the program will give it an inside track, but the young star is already getting plenty of attention from the top schools in the country. In addition to the Irish, Xander Edwards boasts offers from Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among many others. In total, he already has more than 30 scholarship offers, and that list will almost certainly grow as the calendar moves further into the 2028 cycle.
It’s no surprise that the Fighting Irish legacy is one of the most sought-after running backs in the 2028 class. Last season, he put up a monster campaign, with 265 carries, 2,629 rushing yards, 9.9 yards per carry, 13 100-yard games, 44 rushing touchdowns, and an additional 17 catches for 211 yards. According to MaxPreps, he led the state in rushing touchdowns and set the Florida state record for touchdowns in a game with eight.
Xander Edwards gives Notre Dame football another elite legacy target
Against Baldwin last season, his eight touchdowns were accompanied by an incredible 522 yards on 39 carries.
With those kinds of numbers and schools coming after him, Notre Dame can’t count Xander Edwards as an obvious commit; however, it appears that he understands just how important the Irish offer and interest are. The talented running back has already made several trips up to South Bend, including one as an official prospect, as he starts to look at his options for signing day next December. Interestingly enough, should Marcus Freeman and Co. manage to get Edwards, it could be yet another year where they haul in a legacy prospect, as they’re still working on Julius Jones Jr. for this cycle. The 4-star wide receiver is the son of ND great running back Julius Jones.
Add us as a preferred source on Google