BREAKING | WR Jerome Bettis Jr. Commits To Notre Dame

Maybe it was a foregone conclusion from the time he landed his offer from Notre Dame. Maybe it was a foregone conclusion even before that.

Or maybe it wasn’t.

But as of today, Jerome Bettis Jr.‍ , is officially committed to the University of Notre Dame.

The 2025 Georgia wide receiver chose the Irish over offers from schools like Texas A&M, Arkansas, Purdue, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, Duke, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Cal and several others.

The Woodward Academy standout gives Notre Dame 18 commits in the 2025 recruiting class and he joins Elijah Burress‍ and Shaun Terry II‍ to give the Irish a trio of receivers.

The son of Notre Dame’s legendary running back received his offer from the Irish as part of last year’s Pot of Gold rollout. It was clearly a big deal for Bettis Jr.

“I didn't even know what to say,” he told ISD of the original offer. “I couldn't speak. He was on the phone like, 'Are you there?' Because I couldn't say anything. I was stunned. It was amazing. It was surreal to receive that offer from that school...I don't even know. Words can't describe it.”

Still, he wanted to be sure he was being offered because of who he is and not because of what his father did during his time in South Bend.

“I was a little scared that if they wanted me, they'd want me because of my father and him alone,” he said. “But, I've been reassured by the recruiters and coaching staff over there that that's not the case and that they wouldn't have offered me if it wasn't for who I am as a player.”

In the year since, Bettis Jr., has made multiple trips to South Bend and become close with many of the current - and some potentially future - Notre Dame commits, including quarterback Deuce Knight‍ which helped make his decision even easier.

“Every time I get to see Deuce, it's always fun,” he said. “We always hang out, have a great time.”

He clicked immediately with Burress, not a shock since Bettis Jr.’s father and Burress’ father, Plaxico Burress, played together with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

First-year receivers coach Mike Brown and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock also made big impacts on Bettis Jr.

“(Brown) is great,” Bettis Jr. said. “He's a real cool dude, real good guy. He definitely knows what he's talking about. He's a real great coach and I can see how he can develop players. I see I can fit into that.”

“(Denbrock) understands the game to a T. I can tell that the offense next year is going to be special.”

But as much as anything, the culture that Marcus Freeman has developed kept the Irish at the top of the list for Bettis Jr.

“It's special,” he said. “Obviously with Coach Freeman now, you can kind of feel the change in the program in terms of how it was when Coach (Brian) Kelly was there and now. It makes a world of difference because having a coach there who is so personable. 

“Getting to know him, obviously having him recruit you, it means everything. So getting to know him and the recruiting staff, the coaching staff, and then obviously other recruits means a lot.”

Film Don’t Lie | Jerome Bettis Jr.

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