Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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FOOTBALL RECRUITING ROUNDUP 36 DECEMBER 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Jett Washington, HHHH, 6-4, 185, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) Jakob Weatherspoon, HHHH, 5-11, 172, Avon, Ohio (Avon) DJ Williams, HHH, 6-1, 160, Tampa, Fla. (Carrollwood Day) Bralan Womack, HHHH, 6-0½, 200, Brandon, Miss. (Hartfield Academy) Athlete Brandon Arrington, HHHH, 6-0, 180, La Mesa, Calif. (Mount Miguel) Joey O'Brien, HHHH, 6-4, 180, Wyndmoor, Pa. (La Salle College) Star ratings are from On3 as of Dec. 2; commitments in bold italics Class of 2025 WR Jerome Bettis Jr.: Posted 5 receptions for 63 yards and made 5 tackles in College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy's (8-4) 35-20 loss to Canton (Ga.) Sequoyah (11-1) in the second round of the Georgia Class 5A state playoffs. Season complete. WR Elijah Burress: Caught 5 passes for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus made 1 tackle, in Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic's (10-1) 41-7 win over Ab- secon (N.J.) Holy Spirit (9-2) in the semifinals of the New Jersey Non-Public B Group playoffs. Next game: Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII (5-7) in the New Jersey Non-Public B Group state champion- ship Nov. 29. TE James Flanigan: Finished with 9 tackles (8 solo), 4 stops for loss, 2 sacks and 1 quarterback hurry in Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie's (13-0) 41-21 win against Waukesha (Wis.) Catho- lic Memorial (11-3) in the Division 3 Wisconsin state championship game. Season complete. CB Dallas Golden: Had 4 catches for 31 yards and 1 touchdown plus 11 carries for 34 yards in Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep's (6-5) 37-12 loss to Cocoa (Fla.) High (8-3) in the regional semifinal of the Florida Class 2A state playoffs. Season complete. RB Nolan James Jr.: Ran 21 times for 155 yards and 1 touchdown and added 3 receptions for 56 yards and 1 more score in Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic's (10-1) 41-7 win over Absecon (N.J.) Holy Spirit (9-2) in the semifinals of the New Jersey Non-Public B Group playoffs. Next game: Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII (5-7) in the New Jersey Non-Public B Group state championship Nov. 29. DL Joseph Reiff: Recorded 8 tackles (6 solo), 2.5 stops for loss and 3 quarterback hurries in Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community's (11-2) 20-15 victory over Naperville (Ill.) Central (11-2) in the Illinois Class 8A state playoffs semifinal. Next game: vs. Wilmette (Ill.) Loyola Academy (11-2) in the Illinois Class 8A championship game Nov. 30. LB Anthony Sacca: Recorded 6 tackles (3 solo), including 3 stops for loss, to help Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep (9-2) beat Allentown (Pa.) Park- land (11-3) 46-7 in the quarterfinals of the Penn- sylvania Class 6A state playoffs. Next game: vs. Downingtown (Pa.) Downingtown West (13-1) in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Class 6A state playoffs Nov. 29. OT Owen Strebig: Was part of an offensive line that surrendered 4 sacks and 9 tackles for loss in Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial's (11-3) 49-28 loss to Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie (14-0) in the Division 3 Wisconsin state championship game. Season complete. CB Cree Thomas: Notched 3 tackles, 2 passes broken up and 1 interception in Phoenix Brophy's (10-2) 31-3 victory against Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry (6-6) in the quarterfinals of the Arizona Class 6A state playoffs. Next game: vs. Mesa (Ariz.) Moun- tain View (11-1) in the semifinals of the Arizona Class 6A state playoffs Nov. 29. Season Already Completed: OT Matty Augus- tine, OT Will Black, S JaDon Blair, edge Chris- topher Burgess Jr., DL Davion Dixon, QB Blake Hebert, OL Cameron Herron, LB Dominik Hulak, LB Ko'o Kia, S Brandon Logan, S Ethan Long, WR Antavious Richardson, DL Gordy Sulfsted (injured) and CB Mark Zackery. Class of 2026 LB Thomas Davis Jr.: Matthews (N.C.) Wedding- ton (11-0) notched a 35-12 victory against Mon- roe (N.C.) Sun Valley (9-3) in the second round of the North Carolina Class 4A state playoffs. Next game: vs. Greensboro (N.C.) Northern Guilford (11-1) in the third round of the North Carolina Class 4A state playoffs Nov. 29. WR Dylan Faison: Boca Raton (Fla.) Saint An- drew's (6-6) lost 70-0 to Hollywood (Fla.) Cham- inade-Madonna (10-2) in the regional semifinal of the Florida Class 1A state playoffs. Season complete. QB Noah Grubbs: Completed 10 of 19 passes for 119 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 intercep- tions, plus had 2 carries for 10 yards and 1 score, in Lake Mary (Fla.) High's (10-2) 52-43 victory over Port Orange (Fla.) Spruce Creek (8-4) in the regional semifinals of the Florida Class 7A state playoffs. Next game: vs. Sanford (Fla.) Seminole (10-1) in the regional finals of the Florida Class 7A state playoffs Nov. 29. Notre Dame commits wide receiver Elijah Burress (17) and running back Nolan James Jr. (1) of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic combined for 298 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Spartans' 41-7 win against Absecon (N.J.) Holy Spirit (9-2) Nov. 23. DePaul will play for the New Jersey Non-Public B Group state title Nov. 29. PHOTOS BY KYLE KELLY Commitment Updates Games played the weekends of Nov. 22-24 unless otherwise noted 2026 Master List Changes Prospects Committed: Chaston Smith of Knoxville, Tenn. Prospects Decommitted: None. Prospects Removed: WR Jabari Brady of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (no longer considering Notre Dame). ON3 INDUSTRY 2026 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 2 1. Oregon 9 2. Tennessee 6 3. Texas A&M 8 4. Southern Cal 6 5. Penn State 7 6. Florida State 5 7. Auburn 5 8. LSU 5 9. South Carolina 6 10. Oklahoma 3 11. Ohio State 3 12. Notre Dame 4 13. Georgia 3 14. Miami (Fla.) 3 Rk. School Commits Rk. School Commits