Notre Dame football predicted to land a ‘can’t miss’ legacy recruit who is going to make Fighting Irish fans feel very old
A Notre Dame legacy could be trending quickly to the Fighting Irish amongst an elite group of options.
When it comes to the most important recruiting targets in the 2027 recruiting class for Notre Dame, there aren’t many higher on that list than Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Julius Jones Jr., whose name probably sounds familiar to Fighting Irish fans.
Jones’ father, of the same name, played running back at Notre Dame from 1999 to 2003. The star runner finished his career with 3,018 rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns. Jones was selected in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played for seven seasons in the NFL.
As a legacy recruit, there is a natural attraction for Jones to end up in South Bend. This isn’t, however, a slam dunk by any stretch. Jones is considered an elite recruit by some, and he has some great options on the table. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish staff will have to work for this one. That is exactly what they have been doing over the last several months.
Mike Singer, who is a recruiting insider at Blue and Gold Illustrated, has made a prediction for Jones to land with Notre Dame. It is early, but things are certainly in a good place. Mike Denbrock’s offense, continuing to show high upside with redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr, will be the key. So far, it has become a much easier recruiting pitch for prospective wide receivers.
Julius Jones Jr. recruiting background
Jones is already considered a tremendous recruit by the 247Sports Composite ranking. He sits as the No. 48 overall player, the No. 10 wide receiver, and the No. 6 player in the state of Florida for the 2027 recruiting class. We are talking about a potentially elite player from a hotbed of talent, and a legacy player to make things even better.
Despite Jones being just a junior, he has demanded the attention of some outstanding programs. Some of his top offers so far include the Fighting Irish, LSU, Ole Miss, Miami, Florida, Penn State, Texas A&M, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida State, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Washington, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Colorado, NC State, UCLA, Syracuse, and Purdue, among many others.
On an extremely talented and deep St. Thomas Aquinas team, Jones became the top option at a young age. In 13 games as a sophomore, Jones hauled in 51 receptions for 750 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged an impressive 14.7 yards per catch despite playing against some of the best competition in the entire country.
In seven games this season, the junior has hauled in 27 receptions for 517 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 5-10, 175-pound pass catcher leads the team in each category thus far, and by a wide margin. Jones has also increased his yards per catch average to 19.1, creating a ton of big plays.
If Notre Dame lands Jones, it could be a monumental recruiting win. He is exactly the type of wide receiver that the Irish offense needs to attract more of.