BREAKING: Jones Commits To Notre Dame

He was planning to wait, but after getting a chance to experience a weekend at Notre Dame, Micah Jones decided there was no reason to.

The Illinois wide receiver just announced his commitment to the Irish, becoming the newest member of their 2018 recruiting class.

Jones planned to hold off on a decision until March or April, which would have given him the chance to do overnights at schools like Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa and Ole Miss.

But when you know, you know and after spending two nights in South Bend for last week’s Junior Day, Jones knows.

“I just felt like I needed to get it over with and felt it was good timing to do it,” Jones told Irish Sports Daily.

“I looked at all of the schools and I really hadn’t felt like any other school that was willing to offer were going to have an impact on me, so I picked through the offers I had. I just thought it was time.”

The 6-foot-5, 195-pounder had already visited Notre Dame multiple times, so he had a good feel for campus. He also understood the opportunities offered both on the field and in the classroom in South Bend, so his trip down for Junior Day last weekend was about finding out if he’d fit in with the people within the program.

As soon as he realized he did, his recruitment was essentially over.

“They really work hard,” Jones said of the current and future players at Notre Dame. “They don’t like to go out all of the time. They’re about their business. They can have fun, but at the same time, they’re about their business.

“That’s like me. I’m not really a social butterfly. I go out, but I get down to business when I need to. They’re really like me in that sense.”

Notre Dame checked so many boxes for Jones.

“Just the atmosphere,” he said. “I love the atmosphere. I love everything about it. I love the education and the degree you can get from there.”

He expects to study Sports Medicine in college.

“That is very important to me,” he said. “It’s been instilled in me by my family since I was a little kid. They’ve preached academics, so it’s something I’ve always known you need for life.”

The football piece also fit.

“They play on a big-time stage every week,” he said. “You’re going to be in front of a lot of people and a lot of people are going to be able to watch. You’re going to have the best fan base there every weekend. That’s definitely something I looked for and found at Notre Dame.”

In addition to the schools he expected to visit in the coming weeks, the Warren Township standout also had offers from Northwestern and Vanderbilt among others.

Jones is excited to have the process behind him.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for for a while now so I can get back to work and work hard for Notre Dame and work hard for my high school,” he said.

Notre Dame’s 2018 recruiting class features multiple recruits-turned-recruiters and it added another one in Jones.

“Definitely. That’s one thing I’ll do. I’ll try to get as many other kids to come as possible. That’s something I’ll do.”

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