2025 RB James Simon Ready For First Look At Notre Dame
James Simon has wanted to get up to Notre Dame for a while now and this weekend, the 2025 Louisiana running back will get his chance.
“I was trying to come to the Ohio State game, but it was late notice, so I couldn't find a way to get up there in time,” he says. “I worked it out with my family, found another game, and it was the USC one. That's the one I wanted to go to, so we made that happen.”
The 6-foot, 198-pounder from Calvary Baptist Academy was offered by the Irish back in March. He also has offers from schools like LSU, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Oregon and USC among others.
Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough is a big reason Simon remains high on the Irish.
“I love Coach Deland,” says Simon. “Just the way he produces his running backs. He takes players who don't get much playing time or are young and he turns them into All-Americans.
“I want to see about their campus and really want to see what the atmosphere is like.”
Simon says the contact between himself and McCullough has been consistent.
“Pretty much every other day or almost daily,” he says. “He wants to coach me real bad and if I was to play for him then he would definitely be able to take me to the League and help me reach my big goal.”
Simon visited Texas A&M last weekend and LSU before that.
“They were cool,” he says. “It was my first time being in College Station, so that was a great atmosphere to be in.”
He has a couple other trips in mind the rest of the season.
“I'm probably going to try to go to a Texas game,” he says. “I wanted to get to an Alabama game, but I don't think I'll be able to make it down there. I'm going to the LSU versus Florida game and I'm pretty sure that'll be it.”
Simon doesn’t expect to have a list of leaders or a final decision until sometime next year.
“It'll be either before or during the season, late in the season. A top five, I'll probably put that out by the time spring comes around.”
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