Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540307
PREP PROFILES BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 18, 2025 43 Back on Jan. 15, Ja'Juan Seider and the Penn State coaching staff extended a scholarship offer to Chatsworth (Ca- lif.) Sierra Canyon class of 2027 run- ning back Jaxsen Stokes. A month later, Seider left the Nittany Lions to become Notre Dame's new running backs coach. In March, Seider offered Stokes again during Notre Dame's Pot of Gold Day, an annual initiative in which the staff offers dozens of high school sophomores on St. Patrick's Day. Stokes saw Seider in person for the first time during the spring contact period and met him again Sept. 13. The Golden State standout made his first trip to Notre Dame for the Irish's game against Texas A&M and loved the visit. "It was a great experience, and it was really good seeing Coach Seider," he said. "The fans and atmosphere at the game really stood out to me. They packed the place out; I've never seen anything like that. On the West Coast, we don't get a lot of that. There was great camaraderie around Notre Dame — it was great to see that. It's special. "Also, the school aspect — there were important people talking about the op- portunity with the education at Notre Dame. After football is done, you have the degree to back you." Stokes arrived a bit later than he hoped but still connected with the Notre Dame staff. "I talked to Coach [Marcus] Free- man for a little bit on the field, and he was talking about how they have some guys from California and all over and how they come together as one," Stokes said. "He said the brotherhood there is something special and how I could po- tentially help build their '27 class. That was really good hearing from Coach Freeman. He's a great coach, and their player development is really good. "I got to talk to Coach Seider, and he said he's going to try to make it to see one of my games. I want to keep building a relationship with those two coaches and the rest of the staff, and hopefully I'll be back at Notre Dame soon. The visit was great." — Mike Singer Another outstanding Chicago Mount Carmel recruit has appeared on the Notre Dame football program's radar. On Oct. 4, the Fighting Irish welcomed Caravan 2028 class wide receiver Marshaun Thornton to campus for an unofficial visit. The 6-foot, 180-pound pass catcher accompanied his teammate, 2027 class four-star linebacker Roman Igwebuike, to South Bend for the Boise State game. Before the pair of Mount Carmel pros- pects left campus, Igwebuike became the sixth player on his team to add a Notre Dame offer. Thornton might not be far off from being the seventh. The Irish usually wait until Pot of Gold Day to send out scholarship offers to high school sophomores. After meeting with wide receivers coach Mike Brown and his assistant, Dominic Spalding, Thornton, a three-star prospect, has himself firmly in contention for one come St. Patrick's Day. After all, Thornton's other teammate, 2027 four-star receiver Quentin Burrell, earned his on this past Pot of Gold Day. "I got to talk to the receivers coach and assistant receivers coach before the game and after the game," Thornton said. "I'm just trying to build a rela- tionship and see how the future goes. … I would say they were trying to get to know me more, especially because it was my first time being up there." Thornton stayed for the entire game and hung around campus afterward, leaving with a strong first impression of Notre Dame. "It was a great environment, great hospitality and great fans," he said. "Ev- erything was just great all around. It was a great experience." That experience also applies to the Notre Dame passing game, which ranked 25th in the FBS following the win over the Broncos. Junior Jordan Faison had 6 catches for 83 yards, and fifth-year players Malachi Fields and Will Pauling each scored a touchdown. "It was good," Thornton said. "They have some great receivers, playmakers that go out there, get in space and create plays. It was great." Illinois is the only other school Thornton has visited this season. He is still working on potential plans to visit others. As he works toward adding his Notre Dame offer, Thornton is not rul- ing out another trip to South Bend soon. "I definitely see myself coming back down," he said. "Another game day visit, during the spring or however it plays out. I'll definitely be back down here." — Kyle Kelly California Running Back Details First Notre Dame Visit Chicagoland Wide Receiver Emerging On The Irish's Board JAXSEN STOKES ✪ ✪ ✪ Sierra Canyon H.S. Chatsworth, Calif. Status: Offered Class: 2027 Position: Running back Ht.: 5-10 • Wt.: 176 Rivals Rankings: No. 53 player in California and No. 34 running back nationally. MARSHAUN THORNTON ✪ ✪ ✪ Mount Carmel H.S. Chicago Status: Interested Class: 2028 Position: Wide receiver Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 180 Rivals Rankings: Currently not rated "They packed the place out; I've never seen anything like that. On the West Coast, we don't get a lot of that." STOKES ON ATTENDING THE NOTRE DAME-TEXAS A&M GAME "I'm just trying to build a relationship and see how the future goes." THORNTON ON NOTRE DAME