Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 NOV. 8, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY KYLE KELLY The Notre Dame football program continues to shape its roster with legacy recruits. On Oct. 22, four-star junior offensive lineman James Halter, out of Pittsburgh Central Catholic, announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish. Halter is the son of Jordan Halter, who played under legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore from 1989-93. The younger Halter is the seventh Irish legacy to commit to play for Free- man, joining wide receiver Jerome Bet- tis Jr. (Jerome Bettis, 1990-92), tight end James Flanigan and defensive line- man Richie Flanigan (Jim Flanigan, 1990-93), walk-on wide receiver Xavier Southall (Corny Southall, 1985-88), tight end Eli Raridon (Scott Raridon, 2002-05) and edge rusher Bryce Young (Bryant Young, 1990-93). Halter chose Notre Dame over Penn State, Ohio State, North Carolina and 15 other Power Four programs. "The culture there is just really spe- cial," Halter told Blue & Gold Illustrated, explaining why he wanted to commit to the Irish. "They develop their O-line- men, and a Notre Dame degree is no joke." Halter's journey to becoming a Notre Dame commit is nothing short of re- markable. A year ago, he played tight end for the Pittsburgh Central Catholic varsity team Friday nights, and then on the junior varsity team for extra reps. On Oct. 20, he debuted in the Rivals300 as the No. 7 prospect in Pennsylvania, and the No. 8 interior offensive lineman and No. 154 overall player nationally in the 2027 class. Halter began playing football as a freshman. His fast track, however, to becoming one of the top offensive line- men in America can be credited in part to his participation in the Joe Moore O- line camp the last three years. There, he had the chance to learn from former NFL offensive line coaches Andy Heck (a Notre Dame graduate), Russ Grimm and Tony Wise. From participating in the Moore camps and Notre Dame's Irish Invasion camp last June, he has seen Moore's teaching points come to life when work- ing with Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. "They teach bringing your knees once you engage on blocks and accelerating on contact," the younger Halter said. "Coach Rudolph has a lot of [Moore's fundamentals] incorporated into the way he teaches it." Halter has known Rudolph since his sophomore year after going on a re- cruiting visit to Notre Dame for the Blue-Gold Game on April 12, 2025. Rudolph then evaluated him at his high school later in the spring and then again at Irish Inva- sion camp. On Sept. 13, Rudolph offered Halter a scholar- ship when he was back on campus for the Texas A&M game. They've re- mained in regular con- tact in the meantime and built a comfortable con- nection. Halter's decision to play for Notre Dame is even more exciting since he has the chance to play for Rudolph, who is also from Pennsylvania. "I really like him as a person and the way he coaches offensive line," Halter said. "He teaches f u n d a m e n ta l s, b u t h e makes it simple as well." Halter was on campus with his brother, Miles, for the Southern Cal game when he made the decision to play football for the Irish. All his connec- tions to the university ultimately made it an easy one. "There was really nothing else I was waiting for," he said. "At this point, I just kind of want to focus on my high school team — getting better and play- ing better each week." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JAMES HALTER The Fighting Irish Add Another Legacy Recruit Halter is the seventh legacy recruit to commit to the Fighting Irish in the Marcus Freeman era. His father, Jordan Halter, played at Notre Dame from 1989-93 under legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY FILM EVALUATION "James Halter is a riser on the interior of the offensive line in this rankings update, which is on the heels of strong junior film in the first couple of months of his season. I really like Halter's reactive quickness. He does a really good job of staying balanced; he's in control. He gets to his spots in pass protection and has really good pop in his hands. "Halter is strong at the point of attack, which is impressive considering he's around 260 pounds right now. He's only going to get bigger and stronger once he gets in the weight program at Notre Dame. He has the play strength in his core that you like to see with offensive linemen. He has a well-rounded game. It looks like he's technically advanced and is a solid athlete. He probably plays more athletically than he tests, but he's certainly a solid athlete on the offensive line. He fits the Notre Dame prototype for an offensive lineman. "If you're looking for who he resembles at Notre Dame, there's a bit of Anthonie Knapp in his game — a guy who maybe doesn't have prototypical measurements but could play tackle in college. The technicality and play style have some resemblances. He brings positional versatility. He could play anywhere on the offensive line. "He's a really nice get for Notre Dame, and I'm looking forward to continuing to evaluate him through- out his junior season. I like what he's put on film as a junior." — Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power