Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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66 MARCH 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY N olan James Jr. was not afraid to change schools, especially since it was in the best interests of his future. Despite being a second-team all- conference and all-county player as a sophomore at Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep, James transferred to Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic for his final two high school seasons. The payoff was a path to play for the Notre Dame football program. When James, now a four-star recruit who finished the 2025 class as On3's No. 6 player in New Jersey and No. 14 run- ning back nationally, was at Don Bosco, he was a positionless player with no di- rection. Yet, he managed to find offers from five programs. That did not satisfy James. He wanted to improve. So, he sought out DePaul Catholic and made the switch. "Part of the reason his recruitment coming out of Bosco was slow is be- cause they weren't utilizing him how he was supposed to be," his father, Nolan James Sr., told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "Nobody knew what he was. Was he a wide receiver? Was he a running back? Was he just an athlete? "When he got to DePaul, he became featured. It became clear as day what he was." The younger James was a running back — an outstanding one. In his two seasons at DePaul Catho- lic, he had 3,336 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on 461 carries (7.2 yards per attempt) in 23 games. He also main- tained his ability as a receiver, catching 46 passes for 494 yards and 4 touch- downs. The Spartans won a state cham- pionship in his final season. After his junior season, he verbally committed to Boston College on Dec. 2, 2023. Still, other schools saw his po- tential; Duke, Minnesota and Virginia offered him. Others expressed interest, too. But those offers went unreported. "I didn't want him at a football fac- tory," the elder James said. "Not to dis- respect other schools, but Boston Col- lege checked a lot of boxes for us on and off the field." The Eagles were a perfect fit … until the Irish came along. Notre Dame offered James midway through his senior season and hosted him on an official visit for the Florida State game Nov. 9. He flipped his com- mitment to the Irish two days later and signed with them in December. "The opportunity of Notre Dame was too good to pass up," James' father said. Though James Jr. decided to change schools for the second time, he's in it with Notre Dame for the long haul. "He understands college isn't high school," James Sr. said. "He understands he has to get his feet and body settled in, mature and grow. Then, take it from there. … Nolan will take full advantage of the course that's laid out for him." ✦ After moving to Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic, James rushed for 3,336 yards and 27 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons and earned a ranking as On3's No. 14 running back nationally. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY Transferring High Schools Led Nolan James Jr. To Notre Dame NOLAN JAMES JR. RUNNING BACK 5-10 ∙ 199 DEPAUL CATHOLIC H.S. WESTWOOD, N.J. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE Industry ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 238 15 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 217 14 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 219 12 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 69 28 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 28 8 STATISTICS • Recorded 243 carries for 1,921 yards (7.9 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns plus 27 receptions for 340 yards and 3 scores to help Wayne (N.J.) DePaul Catholic capture the New Jersey Non-Public B Group state championship in 2024. • Rushed 218 times for 1,415 yards (6.5 per at- tempt) and 8 scores plus reeled in 19 catches for 153 yards and 1 touchdowns as a junior. NOTABLE • MaxPreps New Jersey High School Football Player of the Year and N.J. Football Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. • NJ.com Non-Public Schools first-team all-state in 2024. • All-North Jersey as a junior. • Attended Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep as a freshman and sophomore. RECRUITMENT • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Committed to the Fighting Irish on Nov. 11, 2024. • Was committed to Boston College from Dec. 2, 2023, to Nov. 11, 2024. • Recruited by running backs coach Deland Mc- Cullough. • Visited Notre Dame once, which was for his official visit for the Florida State game on Nov. 9, 2023. 2025 PROJECTION • Is a redshirt candidate due to a deep Notre Dame backfield. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "There's a lot to like about his skill set as a ball carrier. He has a good burst, gets to the second level quickly, and shows good feet and vision when working through the line of scrimmage. He has a very good change of direction with the ability to stick his foot in the ground, make a move and change direction on a dime. That's a huge skill to have as a running back. "From a physical trait and skill set perspective, he may remind Notre Dame fans of Kyren Williams. At the same stage, he's bigger than Kyren, but they have a similar run style. James is probably quicker than fast and has really good vision and instincts. "If he's anywhere close to Kyren Williams, this is a big get for Notre Dame."