2025 WR, Irish legacy Jerome Bettis Jr. commits to Notre Dame football

Notre Dame’s newest commitment in the 2025 class has some serious Fighting Irish lineage.

Atlanta Woodward Academy wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. — the son of Notre Dame legend Jerome Bettis Sr. — announced his pledge to the Irish on Pot of Gold day, Marcus Freeman’s annual major recruiting initiative that falls on St. Patrick’s Day.

During last year’s Pot of Gold, Bettis earned his offer from Notre Dame. Him picking the Irish certainly isn’t a surprise. He’s taken seven recruiting trips to South Bend, including four since September. The Irish staff recruited him hard, and 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 making his decision public. “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 is Notre Dame’s 18^th overall commitment of the 2025 class and the third receiver, joining Ironton (Ohio) High’s Shaun Terry and Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic’s Elijah Burress.

According to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, Bettis ranks as the nation’s No. 702 overall prospect and No. 113 wide receiver.

In depth with Bettis on his Notre Dame commitment

Even though Bettis knew that Notre Dame was where he wanted to be, he still wanted to go through the recruiting process just like any other prospect would rather than jump on the opportunity in South Bend immediately because of his family history at the school.

“There can also be times where things don’t work out how you want to,” he added. “So, I made sure I went through the process as a normal kid without preconceived notions. I knew it was a process, and I needed to take things slowly and figure it out step by step.”

Bettis informed the staff several weeks ago of his decision to pick Notre Dame, and the two parties liked the idea of announcing it on the anniversary of him earning the Irish scholarship offer.

He spoke with a handful of Irish staffers, including director of player personnel Chad Bowden, about his decision. Bettis and Bowden discussed the logistics of announcing the decision, and of course, Bettis chatted with Freeman, his future head coach.

“I was ecstatic to call him about it,” Bettis said. “Coach Freeman’s initial reaction was amazing, and he was super welcoming. He told me how happy he was, and I felt great about it.

“I realized that there’s no point in waiting anymore. I feel like I’ve gone through enough of the process and seen what I need to see.”

Bettis is grateful for how the staff handled his recruiting process. They felt confident that Bettis would eventually commit to Notre Dame, and they let him go through the process so that he felt comfortable.

“Most definitely. Chad always pushed how he wanted me there, but at the same time, he understood it is a process, and he respected that,” detailed Bettis. “The whole staff made it easy on me. They made it known how much they wanted me there but knew it’d happen when I was ready.”

The timing of the decision caught Bettis Sr. by surprise.

“He was super excited,” said Bettis. “For him to have two kids there is something that makes my parents really happy. I can continue his legacy and what he’s done at Notre Dame.”

Notre Dame was always considered Bettis’ favorite in his recruitment, and part of the reason he stretched his process a bit longer than expected was to prove that he was a power conference-level recruit in his own right.

Who did he want to prove that to? Not the media. Not the fans. He actually wanted to show this to other top prospects. And Bettis ended up with over a dozen power conference offers.

“I wanted to make sure it’s known that I’m my own man, and it’s something I pride myself in,” he said.

Bettis is thankful he had his father and mother, Trameka, alongside him through the recruiting process.

“He went through the process himself and said he had a ridiculous amount of schools after him,” the young Bettis explained. “It made things easier on me because he was able to share his knowledge with me.

“He never wanted to push Notre Dame on me, but at the same time, he influenced the qualities that I looked at in a school. He and my mother shaped what I value. From there, it made Notre Dame the clear choice.”

Bettis’ relationship with Mike Brown is still new, as the new Irish receivers coach has only been on the job for a few months. But their relationship has hit the ground running.

“He’s a great guy and coach,” said Bettis. “I like how he’s been able to develop receivers, which is great. Our relationship has been brief because he just got there, but I can’t wait to build that connection.”

Bettis is currently unsure if he’ll be able to enroll early at Notre Dame.

The Jerome Bettis Jr. file

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 receiver pledge Josiah Abdullah.

Bettis also played safety and posted 34 tackles (2 for loss) and 2 interceptions.

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.