Notre Dame On300 RB target James Simon to reveal commitment at On3 Elite Series event
Despite having two running backs verbally committed in the 2025 recruiting class, the Notre Dame football coaching staff has not stopped recruiting four-star James Simon. On May 29, the Fighting Irish will learn if their efforts paid off for the Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist Academy product’s pledge.
On Monday, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Simon announced he would reveal his college commitment during the On3 Elite Series event in Nashville, Tenn. The On3Recruits YouTube channel will broadcast his decision at 1:30 p.m. ET on May 29.
Simon will choose between Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas and Texas A&M. If the Irish were to secure his pledge, he would join a class that features Bryant (Ark.) High’s Daniel Anderson and Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit’s Justin Thurman.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — Simon is the No. 150 overall player, No. 9 running back nationally and No. 4 prospect in Louisiana in 2025.
In On3’s rankings, Simon is the No. 115 overall player, No. 8 running back in the nation and No. 4 recruit in the Bayou State.
Thurman and Anderson are the On3 Industry Ranking’s Nos. 26 and 41 running back recruits in the 2025 class.
Why Notre Dame is a finalist for James Simon
Simon has unofficially visited Notre Dame twice. His first trip was for the USC game on Oct. 14, after Anderson and Thurman had already committed to the Irish. Simon returned to South Bend for spring practice on April 15.
“I was excited to get up there and be with the coaches one-on-one and spend time with them,” Simon told Blue & Gold on April 19. “The first day, I got to see Coach Deland [McCullough] and have a good conversation with him.
“It was my dad’s first time up there, so it was cool for him to talk to Deland, too. The second day, I went to practice and had meetings with all the coaches.”
McCullough offered Simon during the program’s 2023 version of Pot of Gold Day. He was just one of two running backs to report a Notre Dame offer on March 17 for the program’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed recruiting event.
While the Irish have two 2025 running back commits, Simon previously told Blue & Gold he was not concerned about the program’s depth chart.
“It’s not something that bothers me at all,” he said.
According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Texas has an 81.4% chance of winning Simon’s recruitment. The Longhorns have one running back committed in 2025 in Rickey Stewart Jr.
