Apr 12, 2025; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman smiles as he walks off the field after the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Elite Notre Dame Running Back Commitment Drops Powerful Two-Word Statement

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated May 15, 2025 2:02 PM ET

Notre Dame has been on fire of late in the recruiting world, landing seemingly commitment after commitment in recent weeks. That trend continued Wednesday as elite running back Jonaz Walton of Georgia announced his commitment to Notre Dame.

As is the case with just about every recruit these days, immediate thoughts online went to the strength of Walton's commitment. Considering Notre Dame has already landed another top back in this cycle, is Walton a certainty to eventually end up in South Bend?

Walton wasted no time shooting down any speculation of his commitment to Notre Dame being anything short of 100%. Shortly after announcing his decision he took to social media and shared a short but strong message about Notre Dame.

Home forever ☘️ https://t.co/A3CrQ2HJfs
— Jonaz Walton (@JonazWalton) May 14, 2025

It doesn't get any clearer than that but just to be safe Walton made his next step even more clear on Thursday, announcing that he will no longer be taking visits to Alabama, Florida, or Tennessee, that he previously had scheduled.

Walton is an outstanding commitment, and that Notre Dame doesn't have to worry about him setting foot on any SEC campuses only makes it that much sweeter. Walton's commitment on Wednesday strengthened Notre Dame's hold on the No. 2 spot in the 247Sports composite team rankings for 2026 recruiting classes, trailing only current rival USC.

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

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