Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 7, 2023 45 BY KYLE KELLY Following just his second Notre Dame visit, Highland (Ala.) Home defensive end CJ May verbally committed to the Irish Sept. 23. The three-star recruit secured his spot in Notre Dame's 2025 class shortly after Ohio State topped the Irish, 17-14. May attended that game. May is On3's No. 21 edge rusher and No. 242 overall player in the 2025 cycle. His Notre Dame pledge happened about three months after his first trip to South Bend. On3's No. 13 prospect in Alabama re- ported 36 other unofficial college re- cruiting visits. Each one of them took place in the South. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is cousins with current Auburn freshman defensive lineman Keldric Faulk. His cousin, class- mate and teammate, Jakaleb Faulk, com- mitted to Auburn April 21. Notre Dame offered scholarships to both Faulks. No school hosted May on more vis- its than Auburn, whose defensive line coach reached out to him moments after his surprise Notre Dame commitment. "The Auburn defensive line coach [Jer- emy Garrett] texted me Sept. 23," May told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He was shocked. I was just being honest with him on why I picked Notre Dame over Auburn. "I don't plan on flipping at all. I'm 100 percent committed to Notre Dame, and I plan on staying that way in the future." May credited the Irish coaching staff for being involved in his recruitment early. Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington offered him a scholar- ship during its Pot of Gold Day recruit- ing event on St. Patrick's Day. On March 17, 65 recruits — includ- ing 11 defensive ends — reported new Notre Dame offers. Despite being about 85 miles from Highland Home, Auburn did not offer May until June 9. "Coach [Marcus] Freeman took a chance on me early in my recruitment," May said. "Auburn was late to the race, but they also had the coaching staff coming in. But I felt like Notre Dame would be the best spot for me in general — football and outside of football. "Auburn can offer you a degree, but they can't give you the degree that Notre Dame can give you." May's commitment came five days following Lucedale (Miss.) George County quarterback Deuce Knight's pledge to the Irish. May said he and the 2025 four-star passer had eyed teaming up in college for about the last year. "The initial place we were going to play together was at Tennessee," May said. "Neither of us was feeling it. We came to an agreement that Notre Dame is really what's going to make us the best — the best of our abilities. "The way Notre Dame runs its offense, the scheme fits the NFL better than al- most any other program in college foot- ball. That sticks out to Deuce. I fit well into the scheme on the defensive side of the ball. It was just a win-win for both of us." May reported 18 scholarship offers before committing to Notre Dame. Fif- teen of those were from Power Five pro- grams. He visited Tennessee five times throughout the process. Georgia, Ole Miss, Florida and Clemson also hosted him on multiple visits. May's relationships with the Notre Dame coaching staff — Freeman, defen- sive coordinator Al Golden, defensive line coach Al Washington and assistant defensive line coach Nick Sebastian — ultimately edged out his interest in Southern schools. "Coach Freeman checks up on me daily," May said. "Asks me how I'm feel- ing and how the family's doing. He just checks on me as if I'm his best friend, brother or his son. And that's what made the relationship between me and Coach very special. "Coach Sebastian does a great job of it, too. Coach Washington does a great job of it. Coach Golden does a great job of it. It's like the whole staff checks on me daily and keeps that strong connec- tion with me. That's what made me feel like that's the best spot for me — they actually show that they care about me." Through five games during his junior season, May had 22 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 7 quarterback pressures and 3 pass deflections. Now that his college football recruit- ment is in the rearview mirror, May looks forward to focusing on his high school season. He also plans to play a part in building up the Irish 2025 class. "If we can get four- and five-star re- cruits up to campus, talk to them about what we can actually get after football, we could change a lot of minds," he said. "I feel like, at this point, it's my job to recruit for defense and let Deuce do the offense. "We can split it up, do both, and vice versa — it doesn't matter. But we've got to work as a team to get our team and our class better." ✦ Alabama Defensive End Bypasses Auburn Attachment In Favor Of Notre Dame COMMITMENT PROFILE CJ MAY May is a three-star recruit from Highland Home (Ala.) High and is On3's No. 21 edge rusher and No. 242 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM FILM ANALYSIS "This small school down between Montgom- ery and Mobile sure has some pretty good pros- pects. On film, CJ May shows the flexibility and lateral quickness you're looking for in a pass- rushing defensive end. He takes good angles to the ball, is excellent in pursuit and does a good job of fighting off defenders and finding the ball. "What impressed me the most was the fact that he plays big in big games. He certainly has the frame to weigh over 250 pounds and has played some outside linebacker. His coach said he's one of the better defenders the school has ever produced." — Prep Football Report analyst Tom Lemming