Elite 2026 CB RJ Sermons Impressed With Notre Dame Trip

RJ Sermons‍ made the trip out to Notre Dame this weekend and the elite 2026 California cornerback left impressed.

“It went great,” the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder told Irish Sports Daily afterward.

“It started off with a team meeting, a pre-practice meeting. Then, I toured the campus. I got out to check out the practice and then after the practice we went and met with the coaches; the DB coach, the head coach and the defensive coordinator.”

Sermons, who was offered by the Irish during last month’s Pot of Gold blitz, was impressed with the team meeting and practice.

“It was great,” he said of the pre-practice meeting. “I liked the vibes, I liked the energy.

“(Practice) was super, super intense. Defense was flying around everywhere, making plays on the ball, celebrating with each other, just having fun.

The Rancho Cucamonga star also enjoyed taking in campus.

“It was different, extremely different from any other school I've seen and different in a good way,” he said. 

Sermons was able to meet with defensive coordinator Al Golden, defensive backs coach Mike Mickens and head coach Marcus Freeman.

“Coach Golden was a great coach with great knowledge,” he said. “Coach Mickens was a good coach. I like what he's teaching, I really like what he's teaching. I like who he is as a person too. Then, Coach Freeman is super, super smart and just super real. I really liked that.”

The message from the coaches was a simple one.

“Just really life after football,” he said. “What a Notre Dame degree can do and where it can get you to in life through more than football.”

Sermons, who also has offers from schools like USC, Oregon, Washington, Texas A&M, Colorado and Michigan State among others, expects to return.

“I want to get back out there soon; just keep building relationships, keep coming down and really just feeling everything out. It is a great environment and place.”

Sermons, whose father played running back for the Trojans in the 90s, will be back at USC next weekend, but doesn’t have any other visits planned beyond that. 

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