2025 RB Justin Thurman Goes In-Depth On Notre Dame

From the start, Justin Thurman‍ was an obvious fit for Notre Dame and the 2025 Florida running back proved it even in the very moment he committed to Marcus Freeman, Deland McCullough and the Irish.

Thurman gave the staff his pledge during a visit to South Bend over the weekend before announcing it publicly on Tuesday afternoon.

“I had a great conversation with Coach Freeman and Coach McCullough,” Thurman recalled. “I started off first thanking them and also thanking God because without them and God, none of this would be possible in the first place.

“I told them that I had long conversations and prayers with my family and there's no other place that fits better for me, so I decided I wanted to be a part of the Fighting Irish and commit.”

Freeman and McCullough were “ecstatic” to land one of the top running backs on their board.

“They're very excited about the commitment, but also the future,” Thurman said. “Even though it's two years away, they're both still super, super, super excited about the relationship that we have and the relationship that we are going to continue to build.”

The 6-foot, 185-pounder chose Notre Dame over offers from schools like Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, NC State, Purdue, Iowa, Kansas and Kansas State among several others.

“The main things that led to my decision were the culture, academics, the program and the people,” the Tampa native said. “I believe that it's a good fit for me holistically and for my entire lifestyle.

“They talk about the 4 For 40, which means four years for the next 40 years. The four years at Notre Dame can help put yourself in a good position for the next 40 years of your life. Also, what they do to hold the coaches and players accountable, I believe it's a great mentality that they have.”

Thurman began his high school career at DeSmet Jesuit High School before transferring Tampa’s Jesuit High School.

“As I continued to learn more about Notre Dame and what the culture and what everything was like there, I honestly thought with the Jesuit education and environment that I'm in, I believed it was the best fit for me,” he said.

“The Notre Dame environment kind of resembles that Jesuit environment and that's something that I wanted to continue. I believe it'll help me put myself in a better position on and off the field.”

He also believes he’s a fit on the field in South Bend, especially under McCullough’s tutelage.

“I like the way they utilize running backs in their system,” he said. “I believe with my skillset, my speed, being versatile as an athlete, being a three-down back that I can contribute greatly to the Notre Dame offense.”

The fit was so obvious on both ends that Thurman saw no reason in prolonging the process even though he’s more than a year away from Signing Day for the Class of 2025.

“Going through the process and evaluating it, Notre Dame was just the place that felt the most like home to me. It felt like the best fit. I believe that there really isn't any other place that fit better than Notre Dame.

“I prayed and had long conversations about it. And overall, I think it's just the best place for me.”

Film Don’t Lie | RB Justin Thurman 

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