Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Is Notre Dame About to Land Another Top 10 Running Back?

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated May 7, 2025 1:23 PM ET

Notre Dame recruiting has been hot of late and may only still be warming up. The 2026 Notre Dame recruiting class currently consists of 14 commitments and has a second overall ranking nationally by the recruiting sites. Could another potential offensive star soon be headed to Notre Dame, though?

Jonaz Walton is one of the nation's top running backs in the 2026 recruiting class. The Carrolton (Central), Georgia native is rated as a top-10 running back in the class by both On3 and 247Sports and just received a crystal ball prediction to commit to the Fighting Irish from recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong.

On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Notre Dame to land 4-star RB Jonaz Walton☘️

Read: https://t.co/LiBfPMJvxI pic.twitter.com/2oWKbPMBSf
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) May 7, 2025

This comes on the heels of Notre Dame receiving a verbal commitment from prized running back Javian Osborne just last Saturday. Walton is expected to visit Notre Dame again in June and no word was given as to when to expect him to announce any decision.

Notre Dame's Uptick at Running Back

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Notre Dame has seen a swift uptick at running back in recent years and despite position coach Deland McCullough leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders this past off-season, there appears to be no decline in sight.

Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price were on the short list of best running back combinations in the nation already last season and will both be back this year. They come right after Notre Dame has managed to put the likes of college stars Audric Estime and Kyren Williams in the NFL.

Potentially adding another pair of top-10 running backs in the 2026 recruiting class together in Osborne and Walton would help strengthen the position even more in coming years. It also helps set Notre Dame up for its best run of producing running backs since the peak of the Lou Holtz era.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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