Nolan James Jr. Embraced The Notre Dame Championship Culture

This past weekend was the biggest recruiting weekend of the year for Notre Dame as they hosted some of the best high school recruits from around the country. Notre Dame’s recruiting weekend is already paying dividends. Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame staff landed a pair of commitments, including running back Nolan James Jr., a 5-10, 205-pound running back out of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic.

James, a teammate of current Irish wide receiver commit Elijah Burress, attended the Irish’s matchup against Florida State last Saturday, where Notre Dame’s commanding 52-3 victory helped to solidify his decision to join the program.

After receiving an offer from Notre Dame, the former Boston College commit quickly arranged his visit to South Bend, where the atmosphere, program culture, and educational opportunities sealed the deal for the talented ball-carrier.

"Ultimately, what led to my commitment was the fact that Notre Dame provides one of the best educations in the world, along with the opportunity to play for a national championship,” James told Irish Breakdown.

The values of hard work, mental toughness and high standards resonated with the talented back and his family. He saw it clearly emphasized throughout the entire Notre Dame program.

"Everyone in the building provided the same mindset and message,” he said. "To be great at everything on and off the field and to embrace the challenges that come with that.”

One of the aspects of Notre Dame’s culture that stood out to James was the Irish mantra of “choosing hard.” Although the commitment to excellence didn’t surprise him, the program’s mentality left a lasting impression.

“Not that it surprised me, but I was still super impressed by everyone’s mentality of being great and choosing hard,” he shared.

James spent a lot of time during his visit with Burress and also got to build a relationship with fellow Irish commit Jerome Bettis Jr., which further added to his great experience in South Bend.

James informed the coaching staff of his decision on Sunday night, and the Irish staff were thrilled to add James to the class.

"I told Coach (Deland) McCullough and Chad (Bowden) when they asked if I wanted to be a part of what they had going on, and they were super hyped,” James said.

The moment was unforgettable for James and his family, marking a new chapter in his football journey. The next morning, he shared the news with Marcus Freeman, who was also very fired up about his newest running back.

With plans to enroll early in January, James is ready to get to work.

"My goal is to just simply put my head down, work hard, and gain a role, whatever it may be,” he shared.

James is listed as a consensus three-star prospect by On3 Industry Rankings. He holds offers from Notre Dame, Boston College, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, Minnesota, and Connecticut.