Jonaz Walton Embracing ‘Choose Hard’ Mindset During Early Days at Notre Dame

Every student faces an adjustment from high school to college.

For student-athletes, that transition can feel even more dramatic. Balancing academics, football, workouts and a new environment requires structure and maturity almost overnight.

Early enrollee running back Jonaz Walton is in the middle of building that routine at Notre Dame, learning how to meet expectations both on and off the field.

“The snow has exceeded my expectations,” laughed Walton. “I thought snow was OK here and there, maybe for a week or two. It keeps snowing. They said it was a bad winter, but someone said it was a typical winter. It's something to get used to.

“Other than that, it definitely has met my expectations. One of Coach Freeman's mottos is, ‘Choose hard.’ It’s definitely is hard. It's definitely difficult, but there's so many people around us that can help and that are helping. It's definitely met my expectations. The school, one of the top schools in the country. You can see that when you're in the classes.” 

The Georgia native had over 30 offers from the top teams in college football. But Notre Dame was an easy choice, even though Walton knows life might be a little tougher.

“It was a different feel when I was here,” explained Walton. “I’ve been to a lot of SEC schools. I went around to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, all those. They have a similar feeling. It’s just like a big show, but at Notre Dame, it’s just realistic.

“It’s one of the best schools in the country, one of the best teams in the nation. It felt different being here, and the coaching staff was just amazing.” 

Speaking of the coaching staff, Walton is excited to learn from running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. The two have developed a strong relationship, which speaks to Seider’s ability to put in the work as Deland McCullough had put the Irish in a great spot to land Walton before he jumped to the NFL last winter. 

“Absolutely someone I want to play for,” Walton said. “He’s real. He tells us how it’s going to be and I’ve seen that since I got here. Everything he told us about how hard it’s going to be, how he’s going to joke around, how he’s going to be serious, how he’s going to teach us, it resembles the first few weeks here.” 

Walton is getting his first dose of college football during winter workouts and football school, but the real test will come next month when spring practice begins. 

The Georgia native is keeping his goals small as he’s aware Notre Dame has a deep running back room and the spring is the time to be sponge. 

“I would say again just learning as much as I can,” Walton said of his spring goals. “Meeting just so I can know what I need to do. It’s different than high school, where you can just play. You have to learn, you have to know a lot more aspects than just running the ball.” 

Despite the deep room, Walton does see an opportunity to earn playing time as a freshman. 

“It’s a great room, but it’s a room that has a lot of opportunity,” stated Walton. “That was definitely one of the big factors. There’s a lot, but the availability of the room that there’s not a proven starter yet, it’s just something I can strive toward.” 

Walton’s fastest way on the field could be as a returner. In high school, Walton returned 17 kickoffs for an average of 40.9 yards, which would definitely work for the Irish. 

“Any way is a good way to the field,” explained Walton. “Obviously, I’m going to put in the work. There’s a lot to learn. A lot of people are in front of me. There’s a lot of things they know that I don’t. It’s just taking it step by step.

“I’d love to be a kick returner. It’s really fun and I feel like I’ve shown I can do it, but that’s in high school. It’s different in college. That would be a great way to get on the field, but really, any way I can get on the field is probably the best way.” 

Walton tallied 5,965 rushing yards, 1,440 receiving yards and scored a total of 85 touchdowns during his high school career. He also ran 10.6 in the 100m, so there’s some flexibility in his game. 

“I would say I can be versatile,” Walton stated. “I’m a good power back for sure, but I have a lot of speed. If I get open grass, I’m going to go. This year, I tried to incorporate more shiftiness and moves, but mainly, I’m a one-cut runner, and I’m getting gone. I may run you over, may cut back, but power with a good bit of speed.” 

As for life off the field, Walton is studying computer engineering and he’s already embraced the heavy workload. 

“There’s a lot of help here,” said Walton. “We have tutors. We have learning specialists. I said to my parents when I was being recruited, if I don’t succeed, that’s on me.” 

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