2025 RB Commit Justin Thurman Recaps Recent Notre Dame Trip

After taking in the Irish’s home opener earlier, Justin Thurman‍ was back in South Bend last weekend to see Notre Dame’s showdown against Ohio State.

“The game was absolutely great,” the 2025 Irish running back commit says. “The environment was very electric. The whole environment was just great. Despite the loss, it was still a great game and it was just a great atmosphere to be in. I had a very great time being there.

“I was able to see most of the '24 and '25 commits there. Most of them were there, so I was able to see some of them again because I've seen some of them previously. It was good to meet some of the new commits like Daniel Anderson and CJ May. It was great to see them commit and become part of the Notre Dame family. I'm very excited for them and this continued journey of just building the family in both classes, not only just '25, but also '24.”

Thurman was excited to see Anderson give the Irish another running back commit in the Class of 2025.

“I actually met him during the Grill & Chill in the summer,” he said of Anderson. “He's just a great guy, honestly. I actually feel like me and him have a lot of things in common. I believe the relationship that we have is good. 

“It'll be good to be around him to get to know him better and just have another running back in the room to just add more talent to the offense as well. He's a great guy and I'm glad that he chose Notre Dame as his place to play college football and go to school. I'm happy for him.”

Irish running backs coach Deland McCullough’s use of multiple backs is a major reason Thurman chose Notre Dame and that philosophy was on full display as he worked in five running backs against the Buckeyes.

“It is great to continue to see how Coach McCullough utilizes his running backs in the backfield,” Thurman said. “All the running backs did really well, especially Jeremiyah Love. He had some very good runs, some very good carries, just the way that they utilize all of their skill sets and talents to the best of their abilities is absolutely great. I like how Coach McCullough and Coach (Gerad) Parker implement that into the offensive scheme.”

Thurman is excited to see the 2025 class continue to grow and currently has his sights set on another offensive target.

“We're hoping to land Jerome Bettis Jr.,” he said. “I was talking to him. He's just still taking time, but I believe that we can bring him home to Notre Dame and he'll be another great addition to not only the family, but also to the whole team and the offense as well.”

Thurman isn’t sure yet, but he could be back at Notre Dame in a couple weeks.

“I'm trying to see if I'll be able to go to the USC game. I haven't finalized anything yet, but I'm trying to see.”

Colosseum Green Notre Dame Fighting Irish Half-Zip Hoodie ($54.99 $41.24)