WR Jerome Bettis Jr. — son of The Bus — signs with Notre Dame football
There’s another Bettis who will be suiting in the Notre Dame blue and gold.
Atlanta Woodward Academy wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. committed to the Fighting Irish back in March, and he made his pledge official on National Signing Day. Bettis is — of course — the son of Notre Dame legend Jerome Bettis Sr.
On Pot of Gold day back in 2023, Bettis earned his offer from Notre Dame. Him picking the Irish certainly isn’t a surprise. He’s took countless trips to South Bend, and the Irish staff recruited him hard. Their efforts paid off, as Bettis picked Notre Dame over offers from Arkansas, California, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and others.
The 6-3, 185-pounder didn’t know a decade ago that he’d commit to Notre Dame on a football scholarship, but he did expect back then — after seeing an Irish home football game — that he’d at least end up a student there.
“I always knew in the back of my mind it was going to be home for me,” he told Blue & Gold before going public with his decision. “Even the first time I went up there with my mom, dad and sister, we saw them play against USC. I loved the energy, atmosphere and culture of the school. That was really appealing to me at a young age. Since then, I’ve felt a strong sense of home when I’m up there. That was a big factor for me.”
Bettis had a strong 11-game senior season for Woodward Academy on both sides of the ball. On offense, he hauled in 36 passes for 630 yards with 7 touchdowns, and at safety, he totaled 47 tackles, 1 pass break up, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
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During his 15-game junior season in which Woodward Academy reached the Georgia 6A state title game, Bettis hauled in 30 passes for 369 yards with 4 touchdowns. He was Woodward’s third-leading receiver behind Wake Forest signee Ben Grice and 2025 Florida recruit Josiah Abdullah.
His father is one of the most beloved figures in Notre Dame football history. The elder Bettis played for the Irish from 1990-92 and ran for 1,912 yards with 33 total touchdowns on 337 rushing attempts. The 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was selected in the first round, 10th player overall, by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL Draft.
At the time of his retirement, the Super Bowl XL champion ranked fifth all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 career carries, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame website. Nicknamed “The Bus” for his bruising running style, he also scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game 61 times during the regular season and three more times in playoff games.
Jerome’s sister, Jada, is currently a student at Notre Dame.
