With such a dominant history, it comes as no surprise when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish target the sons or nephews of former players, hoping to bring some of that same success back to the program for another generation.
That much is undeniably true in Notre Dame's efforts to land a commitment from four-star wide receiver Julius Jones Jr., the son of legendary Irish running back Julius Jones.
Now, the younger Jones has set his commitment date: June 23, and the Fighting Irish suddenly have just over a month to shore up their recruitment of the legacy prospect.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and his staff are favored to earn Jones' commitment, but there are dozens of other programs hoping to turn his attention in their direction, including his home-state team: the Florida Gators.
Notre Dame battling Florida for Julius Jones Jr. commitment
While his father might have played for the Irish, Jones grew up in Fort Lauderdale, FL, just a handful of hours from the Gators' home in Gainesville.
Jones received offers from all across the country, including from other powerhouse teams in his home state: the Miami Hurricanes and the FIU Golden Panthers. However, other than Notre Dame, Florida is the only team to receive any seemingly genuine interest from the young wideout.
The young wide receiver has an official visit scheduled with the Fighting Irish over the weekend of June 11, giving Freeman one final chance to wow him before his decision day.
Earlier this week, On3's National Recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction that the Fighting Irish would receive Jones' commitment, another great sign that he will head to South Bend next year.
BREAKING: ELITE Class Of 2027 4⭐ WR Julius Jones Jr (@julius_jones_) has set a Commitment Date for June 23rd, according to BGI's Mike Singer on the Rivals' Inside Scoop show!
— Ryan Fravel (@Fravel_Ryan) May 21, 2026
The Irish Legacy recruit just received a Rivals RPM Insider Prediction to land with Notre Dame logged… pic.twitter.com/OxuIpiSfdv
Jones is a top-100 national prospect, the No. 15 wideout in the class of 2027, and the No. 9 recruit out of the state for his recruiting cycle. Simply put, he is expected to be elite at the collegiate level.
His father, who went on to a remarkable career in the NFL, isn't the only star football player in the player. His uncle, Thomas Jones, played college football at Virginia and also went on to an impressive professional career.
While Jones' dad was taken in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft, his uncle was selected in the first round as the No. 7 overall pick in 2000.
Add us as a preferred source on Google