Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2022 35 BY MIKE SINGER Notre Dame desperately needs a big- time 2023 wide receiver class, and it's off to a good start. Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point four- star wide receiver Braylon James made his pledge to the Fighting Irish over fi- nalists Stanford and TCU. James, who is the No. 37 wide receiver and No. 246 overall player nationally per On3, visited Notre Dame for the first time during the weekend of March 18. He was leaning towards the Irish going into the weekend, and the Lone Star State product informed the staff during the visit that he'd be committing to them. He made that news public April 19. "I fell in love with it," James said of Notre Dame. "As soon as I stepped foot on campus and spent time with every- one on the coaching staff, it just felt really good. They made me feel like a priority. " T h e ca m p u s i s s u p e r h i s to r i c. I walked into the Basilica, and it was beautiful. Notre Dame's network is real. I can go on and on about Notre Dame. "I didn't want to make a decision this early, but it just felt too good to pass up on." Notre Dame originally offered the 6-foot-3, 174-pounder a scholarship in May 2021, but the Irish didn't seem to have much of a chance for James. He was considered a strong Stanford lean earlier this year, but once Notre Dame hired away Chansi Stuckey from Baylor to be its new wide receivers coach in January, the Irish made a big surge in James' recruitment. "I had spoken to him at Baylor a few times, but I started to really genuinely speak to him when he got to Notre Dame," James said. "We hit it off for an hour after he got to Notre Dame. "After that first conversation, I was thinking about how he reminds me a lot of my mom. They have similar interests and share the same qualities. "My dad got to talk to him, too, and he thought that Coach Stuckey was the truth. After that, I wanted to see where the relationship would go and how it develops. I felt really good about it." It wasn't just Stuckey that James built a strong connection with. Offensive co- ordinator Tommy Rees was in consis- tent contact with the impressive play- maker and only strengthened his alma mater's position for James. "He made me feel like a priority," James added. "I was really feeling good about Notre Dame." Of course, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made an im- pact in the Irish beating out all the Texas schools for James, and director of recruiting Chad Bowden was in daily contact to keep showing James love. "One day I got a text from Coach Chad who said that they need to get me on the phone with Coach Freeman," James recalled. "Once I talked to Coach Freeman, he was talking to me about life after football. That's a big deal to me. "We were talking about family, beliefs and qualities. He genuinely wanted to get to know me as a person; we started to click. "We bonded over music and faith. There were different outlets that we connected on — and that's with the whole staff from Coach Freeman, Coach Stuckey, Coach Chad and Coach Rees. "What happens if I get injured? What happens if something hinders me from being able to play? Will these people still care about me? They genuinely care about me. Notre Dame is really legit with this coaching staff change." James was named to the Texas All- District 26-6A first-team offense for his efforts in 2021. In 10 games as a ju- nior, James caught 47 passes for 568 yards (12.1 per catch) and six touch- downs. He made 39 receptions for 419 yards and five scores as a sophomore. James committed to playing in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game in April 2021. He will officially visit Notre Dame the weekend of June 10. The majority of the Irish's 2023 verbal pledges will also be on campus that weekend. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE BRAYLON JAMES Fighting Irish Earn Crucial Commitment From Four-Star Texas Receiver James, the nation's No. 37 wide receiver and No. 246 overall player per On3, picked Notre Dame over Stanford, TCU and many others. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM FILM ANALYSIS "Braylon James is one of the more athletic receivers in a combine setting in the 2023 cycle. He recently had a very strong performance in the testing portion at the Under Armour Dallas camp. James is very twitchy which helps him win vertically on the field. He's still developing in terms of technical acuity at the position with ball skills and route running. "I think James adds a considerable injection of athleticism to Notre Dame's wide receiver room. This is another impressive get out of Texas for Marcus Freeman and staff." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power "The campus is super historic. I walked into the Basilica, and it was beautiful. Notre Dame's network is real. I can go on and on about Notre Dame." JAMES ON NOTRE DAME