Running Back Jonaz Walton Commits To Notre Dame

Notre Dame landed yet another big time commitment today with the announcement that Carrollton (Ga.) Central running back Jonaz Walton was joining the 2026 recruiting class. Notre Dame beat out Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Stanford to land this big time player. 

Notre Dame has recruited Walton for well over a year and he was a top target the entire time. Former running backs coach Deland McCullough made Walton a huge priority, and that continued when Ja'Juan Seider was hired. McCullough played a major role in getting the Irish in a strong position with this talented runner and Seider did an impressive job getting him over the finish line. 

Walton is the second running back to commit to Notre Dame in the 2026 class as he joins elite Texas running back Javian Osborne, who committed to the Fighting Irish two weeks ago. Walton and Osborne form a dynamic one-two punch at running back. Notre Dame has a loaded backfield on its current roster but Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price will soon be in the NFL and the Irish need to reload, something they are doing in incredibly impressive fashion with Walton and Osborne both committing. 

The Central star is an impact running back that ranks as a Top 100 recruit on the Irish Breakdown board. As a junior, the 5-9, 200-pound running back rushed for 1,387 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he was a dominant all-around player. Walton also caught 39 passes for 646 yards and four more scores, and he also returned two of his nine kick returns for touchdowns while averaging 38.4 yards per return.

Walton rushed for 1,683 yards (8.8 YPC) and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore and 1,644 yards (8.8 YPC) and 20 touchdowns as a freshman. For his career, Walton has rushed for 4,714 yards (8.3 YPC) and 56 touchdowns, he's caught 66 passes for 953 yards and seven more touchdowns, and he's returned three kicks for scores.

Walton also earned offers from Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Texas, Florida State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Miami (Fla.), Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Auburn, Nebraska, South Carolina, TCU, Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas State, Duke, Vanderbilt, Virginia and UCF.

Walton is the 16th player to commit to Notre Dame. He joins Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Osborne, Florida wide receiver Dylan Faison, Georgia wide receiver Bubba Frazier, Pennsylvania offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin, North Carolina ends Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham, Texas defensive tackle Tiki Hola, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., Ohio linebacker Jakobe Clapper, Florida cornerback Ayden Pouncey and Tennessee cornerback Chaston Smith.