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Notre Dame legacy recruit Julius Jones Jr. to play in Under Armour All-America game

Kyle Kellyby:Kyle Kelly•07/14/25•

ByKyleKelly

Julian Jones copy 1.jpg
Julius Jones (Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

The son of one of Notre Dame football’s top running backs of the 21st century will showcase his talent against the nation’s best high school football players.

On Sunday night, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star wide receiver Julius Jones Jr. announced he will play in the 2026 Under Armour All-America Game.

Jones is the son of former Fighting Irish running back Julius Jones, who played for the program during the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003 seasons. The elder Jones rushed for 3,018 yards and scored 27 touchdowns during his college career. He was a second-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2004 NFL Draft and played several years in the league.

Under Armour selected the younger Jones as one of only a few 2027 recruits for the game in January. Last year, Under Armour began allowing high school juniors to participate, expanding the event beyond its previous restriction to top prep seniors.

Jones’ invitation comes after On3 national scout Cody Bellaire named him MVP of the Under Armour Future 50, a one-day camp held at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., that featured dozens of elite high school juniors.

“Julius Jones put together an absolute clinic between the white lines on Saturday and was borderline unguardable,” Bellaire said. “He’s fluid and has excellent hip looseness that he shows off at the top of his routes. He does such a great job of setting up defenders and keeping them on their heels before snapping them off and creating separation. 

“Jones is an easy hands catcher as well that does a good job of plucking the football away from his frame instead of letting it get to his chest. He had some serious wow plays during the competitive period, including five total touchdowns during 7-on-7. His toe-tapping grab in the back of the endzone was the catch of the day and capped off a fantastic overall performance.”

In the On3 | Rivals rankings, Jones is the No. 76 overall player, No. 16 wide receiver nationally and No. 6 player in Florida in the 2027 class. He added his offer from the Irish on March 17 during the program’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event.

“It definitely pulled on my heartstrings,” Jones told Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer at the Under Armour Future 50. “Getting an offer from any school is great, but with it being Notre Dame — even besides it being a school I liked growing up and my father played there — it’s at the top of the list.”

In addition to Notre Dame, Jones has offers from Miami, Oregon, LSU, Ohio State, Florida, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida State and Oklahoma.

Last season, Jones led St. Thomas Aquinas in receiving as a sophomore. He caught 51 passes for 750 yards (14.7 yards per catch) and 6 touchdowns in 2024. The Raiders are a perennial high school football powerhouse and play one of the nation’s most competitive schedules. They are the No. 3 team in Florida and No. 53 nationally in the High School Football Massey Rankings.

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