2024 four-star OL Peter Jones commits to Notre Dame over Penn State
Malvern (Pa.) Prep class of 2024 offensive lineman Peter Jones ended his recruiting process early, announcing his commitment to Notre Dame on Sunday.
Jones is a double Penn State legacy and visited State College, Pa., on several occasions. He took just two trips to South Bend — in April and at the end of July. He also visited Penn State at the end of July, which was a good opportunity to compare his two favorite schools.
“My second visit reassured that it felt like home to me,” Jones said of the Fighting Irish. “The similarities between Notre Dame and my high school are strong. It felt almost like second nature — the environment, community, size of the school. And the school itself is exactly what I was looking for.”
The original plan for Jones was to stretch his recruitment well into the fall and pick a program after his junior season. But after the ND and PSU trips, Jones spoke with his high school head coach, Dave Gueriera, about his next steps.
“At first, I thought it would’ve been better so I could focus on my season and not worry about recruiting,” Jones explained. “But my coach was helping me through the process. After I had the July visits, it was clear to me that Notre Dame is where I wanted to be. My coach said, ‘If you already know, then what’s your hesitation?’
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“Once September 1 hits, then my phone would be blowing up because coaches can contact me, and I didn’t want to deal with that during the season. That helped make the decision.”
Jones, who is the nation’s No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 132 overall player according to the 2024 On3 Consensus, informed the Notre Dame staff and other coaches of programs that he was considering of his choice to pick the Irish on Thursday.
Jones spoke with Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees first and then head coach Marcus Freeman.
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“Coach Hiestand was ecstatic; he was really happy for me,” Jones added. “His message was reassuring that this is a great fit and decision and that I won’t regret it. It’s going to be amazing.”
Both of Jones’ parents went to Penn State as well as several other members of his family. There was a bit of a hurdle to clear for Jones not to pick the in-state program that his family loved dearly, but after getting his parents and grandparents on campus, they fell in love with Notre Dame, too.
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His parents raved about Hiestand. Jones’ grandfather was already a Notre Dame fan, so he didn’t need any convincing. And Jones’ grandmother spent a few hours at the Basilica during the July visit. She was sold on Notre Dame.
“Once I put [the family ties to Penn State] aside and focused on the school and what’s best for me, the decision was a no-brainer,” he said. “Coach Hiestand helped seal it. My family kept saying how genuine the whole coaching staff is.”
Jones reports that he’s 6-5¼ and 297 pounds. He’s a tackle at the high school level but could play guard or tackle at the next level.
Notre Dame has six commitments in the 2024 class, and Jones is the first offensive line recruit in the boat.
