Film Don't Lie | Jonaz Walton
Notre Dame already has a talented back committed in this class in Javian Osborne, but the plan was always to add two. Ja’Juan Seider landed his second blue-chip today when the Irish landed a commitment from Jonaz Walton.
Walton has some thunder to his running style, but also some lightning with his top end speed. He recently finished as the runner-up Georgia’s 4A 100 meter final and has a personal best time of 10.63. Him joining the class gives Notre Dame a terrific one-two punch to add to an already talented running back room.
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 205
Projected Position: Running back
ISD Grade: 91 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 91.0 (4-star)
What he does best:
Walton is a load to tackle. He has a strong lower body and can run through arm tackles like a hot knife through butter.
He does have some make-you-miss in his game as well. He wouldn’t be confused with Jeremiyah Love in that regard, but he can be dangerous in space. Walton is often used in the screen game as a receiver and it’s easy to see why.
He has the ability to hit home runs with that long speed. He can pull away from people.
His physicality and overall technique as a blocker is above and beyond most high school backs. There are several examples of him in blitz pickup doing a great job and he can also be a devastating lead blocker as well.
What he needs to improve:
Walton has the speed to run away from defenders and he tends to lean on that a lot. His long speed is outstanding, but I don’t know if he’ll have the burst to get the corner consistently as a college back.
I’d like to see him bounce it a little less than he does and hit it up inside instead. I don’t know if I would put that on his vision or just the fact that he can outrun people fairly easily at the high school level, but I think he’ll be effective running a bit more north-south at Notre Dame.
What’s his ceiling?
He has the size, agility, and power to develop into a heck of an inside runner. I think he can get quite a bit bigger as well. He’s 205 pounds right now, but he looks like he could be up around 220 when he’s at Notre Dame.
The size and long speed are very reminiscent of current Notre Dame running back Kedren Young, but since he is only getting started in his college career, my comp for Walton is a back who just finished up at Clemson. Walton reminds me a lot of Phil Mafah in that he doesn’t have elite acceleration, but is a load when he gets downhill and finishes runs.
Mafah ran for 2,080 yards in his final two seasons with 21 rushing touchdowns.
Walton’s awareness and willingness to block in blitz pickup as well as his ability to catch the ball could help Walton compete early for playing time, but it’s his physical traits that could translate to him eventually becoming a starter at Notre Dame.
Who he could be:
Former Clemson RB Phil Mafah
Men's New Era White Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9SEVENTY Stretch-Snap Hat
