5-Star Recruit Jalen Haralson Commits To Notre Dame Over Indiana, Michigan State

Indiana’s recruitment of Jalen Haralson fell short as the five-star prospect picked Notre Dame over the Hoosiers and Michigan State.

Jalen Haralson pictured with Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry during his official visit to South Bend. / photo via @Jalen.Haralson on Instagram

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has missed out on one of its top recruiting targets in the class of 2025. 

Jalen Haralson, a five-star prospect from La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind., announced his commitment to coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Wednesday. Indiana and Michigan State were the other finalists.

"When I went on my visit, I just connected with the coaching staff, the players," Haralson said on the 247Sports YouTube channel. "I trust Coach Shrews with my game. He had the vision for me that I couldn't turn down, and ultimately I trust him to help me get to my end goal."

Haralson explained what he believes his role will be at Notre Dame next season.

"Obviously the main thing, the thing that stuck out to me is those guys can shoot, and that's something that I thrive well around," Haralson said. "That's something I have here at La Lumiere, and that's something that I really want to be a part of. Coach Shrews, he was Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum's shooting coach, and that's something that I feel like I need to take the next step in my game. So I trust him to help get me there."

"Also the ACC, it's a big-time conference, and I feel like it's the conference that will probably translate the most to the NBA," Haralson said. "So overall, it was a good decision."

At 6-foot-7, Haralson is ranked No. 10 in the nation by ESPN, No. 14 by 247Sports, No. 17 by Rivals and No. 25 by On3. He's the highest-ranked recruit in program history. Haralson is the second member of Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class, joining Brady Koehler, a four-star small forward from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Ind.

Haralson took an official visit to Indiana during the weekend of Aug. 31, which coincided with an Indiana basketball reunion and the Hoosiers’ season-opening football game. He also took official visits to Michigan State and Notre Dame in the fall before choosing the Irish. His top-nine list also included Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Purdue and Missouri.

Haralson, who can play point guard or on the wing, originally attended Fishers High School in Indiana, and he played AAU basketball for the Indy Heat Gym Rats last spring. He was one of 11 players named to the Nike EYBL Session III first team after averaging 20 points, 5.8 rebounds, two assists and one steal per game.

Over the summer, he was one of 12 players selected to the 2024 USA men's U17 national team. He helped team USA go 7-0 and win the U17 men's World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey.

Playing 15 minutes per game, Haralson averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals. He shot 49.1% from the field, 38.5% from 3-point range on 26 attempts and 80% from the free throw line, including a 21-point performance against China.

Here’s a scouting report on Haralson from On3’s Jamie Shaw.

“Jalen Haralson has a sturdy frame, one that should take well to strength and conditioning programs without losing athleticism as he continues to move forward. He has good length as well. There are interesting aspects to Haralson’s game as a point-forward type. He has a solid handle as a mismatch forward, able to get his team into sets or push the break. He is also capable of initiating offense from different levels of the court. He is a quick processor with good floor vision. Haralson is a solid straight-line athlete. He has an understanding of team defense and angles. There are questions about his lateral quickness and his burst. The jump shot can be a weapon at this point, but he needs to continue drilling down its consistency. Some unique tools with his size and feel.”

With Haralson heading to Notre Dame, Indiana’s class of 2025 recruiting targets appear to be in-state prospect Braylon Mullins, as well as out-of-state recruits Eric Reibe, Mikel Brown Jr., Bryson Tiller and Nate Ament. 

Brown took an official visit to Indiana during the weekend of Sept. 12, and that was followed by visits from Mullins, Reibe and Trent Sisley, who committed to Indiana on Monday. Mullins included Indiana in his top three, along with North Carolina and UConn. The other targets have not announced finalists.

Indiana’s 2025 recruiting class currently includes one player, four-star forward Trent Sisley. Sisley currently attends Montverde Academy, but he’s originally from Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind.

Indiana’s 2024-25 roster features six seniors, so Woodson will have plenty of spots to fill through high school and transfer portal recruiting ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• TRENT SISLEY COMMITS TO INDIANA: Trent Sisley announced on Monday that he intends to play basketball at Indiana. CLICK HERE.

• BRAYLON MULLINS NAMES TOP 3: The Greenfield, Ind., standout narrowed his list of schools to three on Tuesday and the Hoosiers made the cut. CLICK HERE

• OUMAR BALLO FEATURE: Oumar Ballo helped Malian basketball make history, and he’s a big reason why Indiana coach Mike Woodson could have his best team so far. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA OPTIMISTIC TREY GALLOWAY WILL BE BACK TO FULL CONTACT SOON: Trey Galloway and Mike Woodson gave an update on Galloway's recovery from knee surgery. CLICK HERE.

• 2024-25 SCHEDULE: Here's the 2024-25 Indiana men's basketball schedule, including game times, location and television designations. CLICK HERE