One stat that proves the importance of Notre Dame’s Pot of Gold day
By the end of the day, Notre Dame’s tally of new offers in the 2026 class for Pot of Gold day may exceed 100.
What’s the point of offering so many prospects if you can only take ~25 in a given cycle?
That might be a skeptic’s question about the hoopla that surrounds Pot of Gold day. But with Notre Dame’s built-in holiday of St. Patrick’s Day, why not take advantage of it? And building a great deal of excitement by doing something as unique as offering this many prospects is a good move, in this writer’s opinion.
And the best part of Pot of Gold is that it’s more than just building hype — Notre Dame has had real success landing prospects who they offer on this day.
On Sunday morning, Notre Dame earned a commitment from Atlanta Woodward Academy class of 2025 wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. The Irish legacy earned his offer from ND on this day last year.
His pledge puts the Irish at 18 commitments in the 2025 cycle, and eight of them were Pot of Gold prospects last year.
Among the group is Lucedale (Miss.) George County’s Deuce Knight, the headliner of the Irish’s 2025 class. The 6-4.5, 200-pounder ranks as the nation’s No. 56 overall prospect and No. 6 quarterback per the On3 Industry Ranking. While SEC schools are continuing their pursuit of Knight, he tweeted out the graphic below on the year anniversary of him getting his offer from the Irish, which is certainly encouraging.
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Knight was also the first prospect the staff contacted on Pot of Gold day last year.
Bettis isn’t the only Notre Dame legacy in the 2025 class. Fellow Pot of Gold offeree James Flanigan — the son of former Irish defensive lineman Jim Flanigan — committed to Notre Dame about seven months after receiving a scholarship from Marcus Freeman’s program. Flanigan is the No. 162 overall prospect and No. 7 tight end nationally per the On3 Industry Ranking.
Chicago Simeon EDGE Christopher Burgess, Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate Conception linebacker Dominik Hulak and Phoenix Brophy Prep cornerback Cree Thomas also announced offers from the Irish on Pot of Gold Day in 2023. They’re all committed to the Irish.
Both Miami (Fla.) Palmetto defensive lineman Davion Dixon and Honolulu Punahou linebacker Ko’o Kia received their offers before St. Patrick’s Day a year ago, but the Irish staff considers them both part of Pot of Gold, per a source.
It’s not just a day of offering new prospects; it’s essentially the staff’s way to officially kick off the 2026 class. And this includes confirming interest of players they already offered, which includes Dixon and Kia.
For the 2024 class, the following Irish signees were Pot of Gold recruits: offensive tackle Guerby Lambert, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, quarterback CJ Carr, interior offensive lineman Peter Jones and tight end Jack Larsen.
