On300 WR Braylon James commits to Notre Dame

Notre Dame tacked on another blue-chipper to its star-studded 2023 haul in the form of On300 wide receiver Braylon James.

James, the nation’s No. 19 wide receiver on the On3 Consensus, pledged to the Irish over Stanford, TCU, LSU and Texas. However, Notre Dame has been trending with one of the best in Texas ever since Marcus Freeman took over in South Bend.

The On300 pass-catcher visited last month and made his mind up before making it back home. For a student-athlete with a 5.34 GPA, it wasn’t exactly rocket science.

“I’ve been on a lot of visits, but what stood out about Notre Dame was they made me feel like a need and everything they told me was genuine,” James told On3. “They were genuine. It wasn’t just what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear. They were truthful and if you only hear what you wanna hear, then something is wrong. Honestly, that’s what I felt throughout the process and that was super important.”

Freeman was aided by offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey, who both played considerable roles in checking off boxes for James on and away from the field.

“He was honest with me about everything, how he felt. about being there and about the coaching staff and Coach Freeman,” James said. “Everyone on the Notre Dame staff seems so real and as soon as I touched down, I knew exactly what he want. My in-person meetings with Coach Freeman, Coach Rees and Chad Bowen, these people are real. It goes to show you the type of people are at Notre Dame.”

How the Irish leaped past Stanford this spring

Arguably the wildest offseason in college football history had plenty of ramifications on the recruiting trail. That includes with James, who was tentatively scheduled to commit to Stanford on January 31.

“I ended up getting cold feet there,” James told On3. “Mainly because of Notre Dame.”

Freeman hired Stuckey away from Baylor exactly a week earlier.

Stuckey had forged a strong relationship with James while in Waco, less than an hour north of where he lives in Austin. After joining the Irish’s staff, Stuckey wasted no hitting the ground running for another elite Texas player.

“Coach Stuckey told me he was going to Notre Dame and he wanted me and he wanted to build this thing together,” James said. “Getting to know him over this process has been amazing. Once they hired him it opened my eyes.”

Notre Dame adding big piece to passing game

The 6-foot-3, 182-pounder checked in with a 77-plus-inch wingspan, 38-inch vertical and 130.9-inch broad jump at the Under Armour regional in Dallas. James also clocked a 4.47-second 40 and a 4.27-second shuttle, as well as a 22.82-second 200-meter with a 6-4 high jump.

Playing with suspect quarterback play at Del Valle (Tex.) last season, James piled up 568 yards and six touchdowns on 47 receptions. He had 442 yards on 42 catches with seven touchdowns as a sophomore.

James tallied more than 300 yards on kickoff returns last year. At 6-foot-3, he’s a big-bodied receiver that can run around or over defenders in space, and has proven to be an effective runner after the catch. James is a long-strider with another gear getting downfield or to the edge. He’s a massive target in the passing game for his quarterback and is even more dangerous considering his catch radius and ability to come down with 50-50 balls or operate in tight windows.

Certainly, James has flashed in glimpses and blends traits like size, athleticism and big-play potential. He’s piecing together an impressive offseason with testing numbers will play his senior season at Round Rock (Tex.) Stony Point as a senior.