Notre Dame may not have been able to show Jaxsen Stokes a home victory, but the Irish were able to show the elite 2027 California running back a whole lot more this weekend.
“The atmosphere and everything, the community and the camaraderie at Notre Dame,” Stokes said of what he saw during his trip to South Bend. “This is my first time seeing something like that.
“A lot of these West Coast schools don't have too much of that. It was really loud and I couldn't really hear much. I felt like I was part of it a little bit as the game went on. It was something that I'd never seen before and it was very unique, not a lot of schools in the country have it like that. It was definitely a lot of fun.”
In addition to Notre Dame, the Sierra Canyon star also has offers from schools like USC, UCLA, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Tennessee among many others.
He was impressed with the Irish’s running game during their 41-40 loss to Texas A&M.
“They definitely use their running backs to the fullest extent; using Jeremiyah Love in the Wildcat a little bit, and then using their other guy to open it up,” Stokes said. “I feel like A&M was a little bit worried about Jeremiyah Love a lot, so that kind of opened it up with the other guy and he definitely took advantage of that, I believe it was Outsize Zone and then some inside runs that affected A&M's defense, so that was definitely good to see.
“At least I know that if I go there, they're definitely going to use their running backs in the passing game as well. Jeremiyah got out there on a wheel route and scored. They're going to use all different aspects of running backs. I can play in the slot, I can catch out of the backfield, I can also run the ball. So it's definitely good to see all those things that they're being used for.”
Stokes also had a chance to visit with head coach Marcus Freeman and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider prior to the game.
“I talked to Coach Freeman on the field,” he said. “He just kind of talked about how they have guys from all over, even California. He knows that I came all the way from California and he said he knows that I'm a special guy, so they're going to keep pushing for me a little bit.
“And then I also talked to Coach Seider and he talked about coming back to see me for a game on his bye week. I don't know which date that would be, but he just talked about that and he talked about my speed and how they could use me as a guy who has speed. Not a lot of running backs have as good speed as me, so we just kind of talked about that. I just want to continue building a relationship with them.
“That was really my first time seeing Coach Freeman in person. And then that was my second time seeing Coach Seider, so it was a good thing. I'm excited to keep building with Notre Dame.”
Even among the schools that have offered, Notre Dame has proven to Stokes that he is a priority.
“It feels good to know that a school like Notre Dame, that's good academically and on the football field, in the back of their mind,” he said. “I'm there with them as far as someone that they would want to target hard for the '27 class. They're in my top list of schools and I just feel like we're going to keep building that relationship.
“I just feel like I have to get these other visits done and see which things are better than other aspects of different schools and just pick out what I like different about each school and go from there. Maybe see which coaches are going to come see me again and stuff like that and just kind of move from there. But Notre Dame is definitely in the mix. That's one of those top schools.”
As of now, those visits will be to USC, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
But the Irish have certainly established their place among the top group.
“They definitely presented itself very well. They talked a little bit about the school and the opportunity. That is a very rare opportunity that people get to come to Notre Dame, so I think that's very important to me. There are not a lot of schools that have elite level football and great academics, so that's a really important thing for me as well to look at. And just the type of coaching staff they have, Coach Freeman, the brotherhood and everything. It kind of showed on Saturday. I felt like that was kind of important. So that kind of makes them a top school.”
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