"It was kind of like a milestone": Notre Dame legend Julius Jones' son shares the excitement of receiving Irish offer

Notre Dame fans have recently seen the sons of former Irish stars return to South Bend, including Bryce Young, Jerome Bettis Jr. and James Flanigan. On St. Patrick’s Day, Marcus Freeman and his coaching staff took advantage of their Pot of Gold Day initiative to extend offers to more legacy prospects, including four-star wide receiver Julius Jones Jr., the son of Julius Jones, who played for the Irish from 1999 to 2001 and in 2003.

“It's something I've been looking forward to since I was little because I've grown up around Notre Dame Football,” Jones Jr. told the Irish Sports Daily. “Just being around it, it was kind of like a milestone that I've been waiting to achieve and feeling that and getting that feeling is really something special.”

The sophomore has received offers from multiple big schools like Ohio State, Miami, Penn State, LSU, Oregon, Florida, Auburn and Ole Miss. However, the offer from Irish stands out, not just because he is a legacy recruit, but because he has been a devoted fan of the school since childhood.

“There are a lot of colleges that have their own special feeling and Notre Dame is one that you can't really replicate or get anywhere else," Jones Jr. said.

Julius Jones left South Bend as one of only four running backs in school history to surpass 3,000 rushing yards. He set multiple records before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft.

Now, Jones Jr. is forging his own path as a consensus four-star recruit. He is the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 class and the No. 1 recruit in Florida, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Julius Jones Jr. reveals his conversation with Notre Dame WR coach

During Pot of Gold Day, Julius Jones Jr. had conversations with multiple Notre Dame coaching staff, including wide receivers coach Mike Brown, who offered him a scholarship.

“He's great,” Jones told the Irish Sports Daily about Brown. “He's really cool. He's a cool guy. He's down on earth. He's easy to talk to and he knows a lot. He knows what he's talking about, so whenever I talk to him, I have a great conversation. I always leave learning something. I hope to keep building my relationship with him.”

The Irish have failed to land any commitments for the 2027 cycle. Trenton Yancey, Quentin Burrell, Tay Ellis, Corey Hadley, and Osani Gayles are some of the program's wide receiver targets in this class.