Notre Dame football set to host Top-100 running back this week as Ja’Juan Seider continues to flex his recruiting muscles
Ever since former Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider took over the same position with Notre Dame, he has continued to make quite the impact from a recruiting perspective in the 2026 class. He has seemingly put the Fighting Irish in a great spot with Top-100 runners Javian Osborne and Messiah Mickens, and now […]
Ever since former Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider took over the same position with Notre Dame, he has continued to make quite the impact from a recruiting perspective in the 2026 class. He has seemingly put the Fighting Irish in a great spot with Top-100 runners Javian Osborne and Messiah Mickens, and now he gets his shot at another this week.
For the first time, 2026 Valencia (Calif.) High School star running back Brian Bonner will be traveling to South Bend for an unofficial visit on Friday. Despite this being his first visit to Notre Dame, Bonner does have a high opinion of the program. Bonner included them in his top schools list, joined by Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Nebraska, Washington, UCLA, and Stanford.
Bonner is a borderline Top-100 recruit by multiple major recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Bonner is rated as the No. 99 overall player, No. 8 running back, and No. 13 player in the state of California in the 2026 recruiting class. California has a tremendous track record of developing a ton of next level talent.
There is an elite group of standout programs that have been pursuing Bonner. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Auburn, Penn State, USC, Nebraska, Utah, Washington, Arizona State, Missouri, UCLA, Michigan State, SMU, Minnesota, Arizona, Cal, Duke, Kansas, Stanford, and Northwestern among others.
As a junior, Bonner was tremendous for Valencia. The 6-1, 185-pound runner rushed for 1,493 and 25 touchdowns while averaging a stellar 7.6 yards per carry. Bonner also hauled in another 40 receptions for 498 yards and four scores in the passing game.
From a talent perspective, Bonner is a long athlete with a ton of big play ability. He possesses comfort as a pass receiver, and profiles as an all around weapon. Bonner would be a tremendous land if the Irish staff is able to close in the end.
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