Notre Dame Set For Massively Important Junior Day

Previewing every recruit expected on campus this weekend for the Notre Dame Junior Day

Notre Dame is set to host their first Junior Day of the 2025 recruiting cycle, welcoming a long list of big time 2025 commits, recruits and key targets to campus. This has the chance to be a massive weekend and could add to a class that already sits with 14 total commitments.

Let’s take a look at every recruit who is expected to be in South Bend for the event. That includes where each recruitment currently stands and what a big weekend could potentially mean for the Irish.

IRISH COMMITS ON CAMPUS

A big part of these junior days is getting current commits on campus together, allowing for their bonds to grow. Another huge layer of having all the Notre Dame commits on campus is for them to become a bit of a secret weapon as extra recruiters.

The Irish are expected to have 12 of their commits on campus, the exceptions being Wisconsin tight end James Flanigan and Hawaii linebacker Josiah Kia. Led by star quarterback commit Deuce Knight, this is a group of strong recruiters looking to help add some important pieces to the 2025 recruiting class.

Here is the full list of commits expected on campus this weekend.

QB Deuce Knight - Lucedale (Miss.) George CountyRB Justin Thurman - Tampa Bay (Fla.) JesuitRBDaniel Anderson - Bryant (Ark.) High SchoolOT Will Black - Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall

DE Christopher Burgess Jr. - Chicago (Ill.) SimeonDE CJ May - Highland Home (Ala.) High SchoolDE Joseph Reiff - Elmhurst (Ill.) YorkDT Davion Dixon - Miami (Fla.) PalmettoLB Dominik Hulak - Elmhurst (Ill.) Immaculate ConceptionCB Cree Thomas - Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy College PrepS Ivan Taylor - Winter Garden (Fla.) West OrangeS Ethan Long - Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School

KEY TARGETS TO KNOW

Here are the current uncommitted 2025 targets who are expected on campus this weekend for Notre Dame. Unfortunately Buford (Ga.) High School cornerback Devin Williams will not be able to make the trip due to travel issues, while Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon will also not be able to make it. Both are working on setting up return trips at later dates. 

WR Talyn Taylor - Geneva (Ill.) Community

A late addition to Junior Day, Taylor will be back for a return visit. This is a massive opportunity for Mike Brown and the Notre Dame staff to capture back some momentum. From the beginning Taylor has been a major priority for the Irish and that pitch should continue this weekend. 

WR Jerome Bettis Jr. - Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy

Notre Dame has been in the driver’s seat for Bettis for a long time, which makes sense considering who his father is. Aside from that obvious relationship, the Irish staff has made him feel like a priority. This still feels like only a matter of time until “Baby Bus” is in the class. We will see if they can close the deal this weekend.

WR Elijah Burress - Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic

Burress, who is the son of former New York Giant wide receiver Plaxico Burress, was just offered by Notre Dame last week. He has quickly set up his first visit to South Bend. It is early in the process but obviously there is enough level of interest to check out the campus.

OT Jack Lange - Eureka (Mo.) High School

Things have been moving quickly with Lange, who is one of the biggest risers of any 2025 offensive tackle. Since Notre Dame offered the Missouri native back in November, things have been trending in a good direction. Heading into the visit, the Irish staff are in a solid spot but still have some work to do. This could be a make or break opportunity for them.

OT Owen Strebig - Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial

Is this finally the visit that Strebig pops? It will be his sixth time in South Bend and things have been in a great place. Notre Dame is the clear front runner and now Knight is busy recruiting him as well. If a decision does happen in the near future, it sure does feel like Notre Dame will be the pick.

OT Matty Augustine - Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School

Since camping at Notre Dame last offseason, Augustine has been a player that Notre Dame has been pushing for. They already have his teammate Ethan Long in the class, and now their sites are on The 6-7, 290-pound offensive lineman. This weekend could be a huge step to earning a commitment in the future.

DE Damien Shanklin - Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central

As it stands, Shanklin looks like the final piece to a stellar defensive line class in 2025. Shanklin has been to campus multiple times and continues to say all the right things about Notre Dame. This could be the final step towards closing this one out. He is the true difference maker at Vyper that the group is missing.

LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng - Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy

In a bit of a surprising inclusion, Owusu-Boateng has tentatively set his first visit to Notre Dame this weekend. He is the younger brother of former Irish All-American defender Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah but will be experiencing South Bend for the first time. The IMG Academy star has spoken well of Notre Dame in the past, and even put him in a tentative top four schools list but it has always been a long shot. If he does make the trip, that could really shake up this recruitment.

CB Dallas Golden - Tampa Bay (Fla.) Berkeley Prep

This will be Golden’s third trip to campus. He has been an athlete that Notre Dame has prioritized for a long, long time. Golden is very high on the Irish coming into the visit. They feel like the front runner and could potentially close it out this weekend. A good visit would go a long way.

CB Mark Zackery - Indianapolis (Ind.) Ben Davis

Like Golden, things are in a great place with Zackery. Notre Dame is the clear front runner, a school that the Ben Davis standout has known for a long time. With Thomas already in the class, Notre Dame has a chance to really solidify a special cornerback group this weekend.

S Corey Costner - Perry Hall (Md.) High School

Costner has been on the board for Notre Dame for a while but there hasn’t been much momentum. The Irish already have two safeties committed in the 2025 class with Ivan Taylor and Ethan Long. There is still a push happening for North Carolina standout JaDon Blair but numbers are getting tight on the back end.

QB Brady Smigiel (2026) - Newburry Park (Calif.) High School

Notre Dame was just out on Thursday to Newburry Park to see Smigiel in live action. The early reports are that the throwing session went well, and he is one of the early signal callers to know in 2026. Smigiel now gets his first look at South Bend this weekend for Junior Day.

There are a couple interesting recruits who are visiting this weekend who do not currently hold an offer from the Irish. One is 2025 Ironton (Ohio) High School wide receiver Shaun Terry, who has been garnering more and more recruiting attention over the last couple of months. The 5-9, 170-pound pass catcher currently holds offers from Michigan, USC, Penn State, Auburn, Missouri, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Boston College and Illinois among others.

The other recruit to watch is 2025 Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central offensive lineman Cameron Herron, who is the teammate of Shanklin. A fast rising prospect in his own right, Herron has garnered offers from Iowa, Purdue, Iowa State, West Virginia, Duke, Boston College, Cincinnati and Indiana among several others so far. 

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