Jerome Bettis Reveals Epic Lou Holtz Recruiting Story About Notre Dame

Bettis joined former Steelers teammate and Notre Dame dad Ryan Clark

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jerome Bettis on the field before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis obviously wound up playing football at Notre Dame but it wasn't always a two-foot putt that he'd end up in South Bend.

Bettis was a star at Mackenzie High School in Detroit and the Detroit Free Press high school player of the year in Michigan his senior season. As you'd expect, all the nation's top colleges were after as his skills.

Bettis joined former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Ryan Clark on The Pivot Podcast, which is co-hosted by former NFL stars Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. They spoke on an array of topics but Lou Holtz getting Bettis to Notre Dame was one of the more memorable parts as it involves the old Fighting Irish head coach and a stolen Cadillac. Check it out below.

“You think the Cadillac will be good here”. - Lou Holtz

Legendary @NDFootball coach Lou Holtz pulled up to Jerome Bettis’ high school in a Caddy. So, did another coach from a different school, & by the time they finished the in school visit only one Caddy was outside. It was… pic.twitter.com/nnDlJX2o8o

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) January 29, 2025

The full episode is an excellent behind the curtain look at Bettis who shares stories of the actual origin "The Bus" nickname, which actually began at Notre Dame, long before his time in the black and yellow of the Steelers.

Bettis also spoke about Notre Dame in the NIL era, and plenty else about the Fighting Irish football program. Here are a few of the highlights.

Jerome Bettis on the 'Different Kind of Notre Dame Kid'

Congratulations to one the great Irish running backs!@JeromeBettis36 is elected into the @NFL @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/D6O721zMNE

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) February 1, 2015

It's a different kid that's going to go to Notre Dame. Because, at Notre Dame, it's, it's different, because we can all talk like it's just, it's not, it's not all football where you can go. So, you go to places where it is.

"I mean, you go crazy. Love the SEC It is insane. It is football. And it is at its finest, because living in Georgia for these last, you know, 19 years I've been able to see the SEC and been, you know, immersed in it. Went down, spoke at the University of Florida and spoke with the Clemson team, did all this, and just really see it different.

The differences in the ACC and SEC it is football mania and but it's something different at Notre Dame, where the kids there understand that is, is football, yes, but it's, it's something else, and it's hard to kind of put a finger on what that is, but it's different.

Jerome Bettis on Notre Dame's Unique NIL Approach

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates with Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after scoring a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

I believe that Notre Dame can play in that space as well, but still keeping their identity of what they are. So I don't believe that this is a one off. I think you got the right coach that has the right message, and he's got an 800-pound gorilla of university behind him that will give him the resources that he needs.

But I believe he's going about it a different way, and much like Clemson, the way they're looking at it, they're saying we're not going to do this portal thing. We're going to do it our way, right? And you can commend them for what they're doing. And I think Notre Dame has a similar philosophy in terms of we're going to do it our way. It may not look like everybody else. We may not do that, but we're going to get a select group of guys that's going to make a difference for us in our program, and we're going to have a base group of kids that believes in this philosophy, right?

And that they're going to be selfless, they're not going to think about themselves individually, right? And they're going to they're going to look for the best outcome for everybody, and they'll benefit as a result of that. And I think that's kind of the philosophy they're taking and, you know, we have to be proven that it doesn't work.

You can watch the full episode below.

Bettis' son, Jerome Bettis, Jr., was a member of Notre Dame's 2025 recruiting class and enrolled early earlier this winter.

More From Notre Dame on SI

Former Notre Dame Wide Receiver Finds New Midwest Football Home

A Look Back at Leonard Moore's Fantastic Freshman Season

Notre Dame Offers Scholarship to 2026 Nebraska Tight End

Quick Thoughts on Notre Dame's Freshly Released 2025 Football Schedule

2025 Notre Dame Football Off-Season Roster Tracker