Notre Dame Continues To Pursue Louisiana Running Back James Simon
The Notre Dame coaches have been making their travels over the last several days during the open period, usurping the schools of several top players in the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes. On Monday, they stopped in to check on 2025 Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist star running back James Simon, who has an argument as the best natural runner in the class.
Although the program already has commitments from Florida speedster Justin Thurman and Arkansas standout Daniel Anderson, they are still staying in consistent contact with Simon. He’s a player they love, and are working diligently to potentially get him back to South Bend for a visit.
"It was great getting to see the coaches at my school again,” Simon told Irish Breakdown. "They have been staying in contact pretty often. I am not planning on taking any more school visits until official visits. Notre Dame is definitely a place I am hoping to take an official visit to potentially.
"Recruiting in general has been great,” he continued. "It has been pretty hectic, especially with a lot of coaches coming in recently. All the schools who are recruiting me have been doing a great job. I wouldn’t say I have a top schools list right now. That is what the visits are for, really narrowing things down.”
Notre Dame received a visit from Simon during the USC game this past season. It was a trip that exceeded his expectations and firmly put the Irish on the radar. If they are able to get him back for an official visit, that would be a huge accomplishment.
In the end, Simon will be a tough pull but there is little question that Notre Dame has his attention. They will need to fit the criteria he is looking for, which it appears they do on the surface.
"I want to make my decision ideally before my senior season,” Simon explained. "I am looking for a school that fits me best overall. I want a school that can develop me and get me to the NFL.”
Simon is rated as a four-star recruit by every major recruiting platform. He is rated highest on the On3 ranking, pegging him as the No. 123 overall player and No. 8 running back in the 2025 recruiting class. Each ranking outside of Rivals has Simon ranked as a top six player in the state of Louisiana.
The 6-0, 195-pound running back has been garnering interest from an assortment of premier programs. Some of his notable offers include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Texas, Florida, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, TCU, Oregon, Florida State, Auburn, Washington, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Colorado, Missouri, Houston, Cal and Arizona among others.
Simon was tremendous as a junior, a part of a state championship Calvary Baptist squad. In 14 games, the talented rusher exploded for 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 8.3 yards per carry. Simon also hauled in 20 receptions for 214 yards and three more scores through the air.
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