Notre Dame football and HC Marcus Freeman shouldn’t waste any time offering a Fighting Irish legacy before it is too late 

There is a legacy recruit that Notre Dame needs to pursue before he continues to blow up.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Bolles Bulldogs running back Xander Edwards (25) breaks a for a second quarter touchdown Friday September 19, 2025 at Oakleaf High School in Oakleaf Plantation, Florida. The Bolles Bulldogs are 3-1 while the Oakleaf Knights are 4-0. Bolles lead 21-6 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Notre Dame football has been on a tremendous run of recruiting and developing the running back position under head coach Marcus Freeman. It began with running backs coach Deland McCullough and has continued under Ja’Juan Seider. The dynamic duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price is arguably the best in all of college football, and the rest of the room is really talented as well.

The future of the running back position may include a Fighting Irish legacy. 2028 Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School running back Xander Edwards is a player that Notre Dame is keeping close tabs on, and he is off to a fast start so far during his sophomore season. Edwards is fresh off a game where he rushed for a Florida state high school record 522 yards and eight touchdowns. Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Derrick Henry previously held that record before Edwards broke it last week.

A Notre Dame legacy

If that last name doesn’t sound familiar, Xander is the son of former Irish star fullback Marc Edwards. The older Edwards played with the team from 1993-96. During that stretch with Notre Dame, Edwards managed to rush for 1,591 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also hauled in another 46 receptions for 598 yards and five scores. 

Edwards was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He spent nine years in the NFL with the 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears. It appears that those jeans have certainly been passed on to Xander.

Now a legitimate recruit himself, the younger Edwards is just beginning to generate college interest, but he is blowing up this season. The 6-2, 215-pound runner was a notable performer for the Bolles School as just a freshman last year. In 12 games, Edwards rushed for 558 yards and eight touchdowns, an average of 7.2 yards per carry. He added an additional 46 yards on four receptions as a receiver as well.

Now the featured back for Bolles School, Edwards is off to a historic start in 2025. In just six games, the talented runner has gone for 1,395 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 140 carries, an average of just under 10 yards per carry. Edwards has also hauled in another six receptions for 68 yards through the air.

Due to that superb play, Edwards has been pulling in several new offers. Some of the schools that have offered so far include Miami, Pittsburgh, SMU, Syracuse, Memphis, USF, UTSA, Western Kentucky, Delaware, and Arkansas State. More and more Power Four programs continue to get Edwards on their radar, and that will continue the more he continues this outrageous production.

Notre Dame is not a program that typically sends out super early offers, especially to players who haven’t even finished their sophomore seasons. Edwards could be a rare exception to trying to get stronger footing before his offer list does blow up. Whether he stays at running back or eventually grows into a different position, this is absolutely a Notre Dame athlete.

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