Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 NOV. 8, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE N otre Dame has seen the Jalen Haral‑ son effect all summer, but on Oct. 17 at Butler, the Irish saw it on display against someone else. During the first half of Notre Dame's 77‑76 exhibition win, Haralson grabbed a contested rebound with two hands. He immediately started dribbling the other way, pushing the pace in transition. Ha‑ ralson's eyes stayed up the whole time, looking for options on the wing. But at the last second, he reached up with his right hand and finger‑rolled the ball into the basket. The Irish have wanted to play with more tempo since third‑year head coach Micah Shrewsberry arrived in South Bend. With Haralson in the fold, they can. "It's fun," Haralson told Blue & Gold Illustrated at Notre Dame's local media day. "It's not really thinking. You don't have to wait for sets or nothing like that. We just get it and go." Haralson is, simply put, a game changer for Notre Dame. The Irish have not had a player like him since Shrews‑ berry took the job. The closest com‑ parison is Tae Davis, who transferred to Oklahoma over the offseason, but the No. 20 player in the 2025 Rivals Indus‑ try Ranking is an upgrade as a passer, ball handler and scorer. The 6‑foot‑7, 220‑pound freshman is listed as a guard, but he can play what‑ ever role Shrewsberry needs him to fill in a given lineup. Haralson played small forward during the first half against But‑ ler, scoring 7 points (none of them easy) and grabbing 6 rebounds with his 6‑foot‑ 10 wingspan. To open the second half, Shrewsberry moved him to point guard and he immediately dished out 4 assists. Notre Dame fans, Shrewsberry be‑ lieves, should get used to that. "He's a stat‑sheet stuffer," Shrews‑ berry said. "He can score the ball when he needs to. He can rebound the ball. He can make passes. And we use him in a lot of different ways, and we will keep using him in a lot of different ways." Haralson is embracing his role as a do‑ everything player in the lead‑up to his first — and potentially but not definitely only — season of college basketball. "I'm a versatile guy," Haralson said. "I can do a lot of things on the court. Com‑ ing in, I don't want to hold myself to just one position or doing one thing. I can rebound, push the pace. I can score the ball. I can pass. I can do a lot of things. "So, it's really just making an impact on the game." 'THAT'S WHAT I WANTED' Haralson reiterated on Oct. 22 that he knew he was coming to Notre Dame when he stepped on campus for his of‑ ficial visit (which, ironically, was the weekend of the football team's loss to Northern Illinois). He finalized his de‑ cision on Sept. 23, 2024, and he kept it hidden until he told the coaching staff less than an hour before making it public. He even kept his choice hidden from fellow Irish freshman Brady Koehler, who committed days before he did. Haralson and Koehler were AAU team‑ mates with Indy Heat in high school. "He was texting me, but I wasn't re‑ sponding to him," Haralson said, laugh‑ ing. "I knew if I told him, he would probably tell a lot of people." Haralson chose Notre Dame over In‑ diana, and he's happy with his choice so far. He likes the smaller‑college envi‑ ronment and community in South Bend, having enjoyed his first fall on campus. "That's what I wanted," Haralson said. "I'm a tight‑knit person. I'm a family guy, so this is just really family oriented. I love it, man." "Jalen's a hell of a basketball player," junior guard Markus Burton said. "But not only that, he brings joy. Brings joy every single day. Every time I see the kid, he's smiling." As last year's Notre Dame team learned, though, things can get signifi‑ cantly less fun when the team isn't win‑ ning. Haralson believes the Irish have everything they need to be successful, and he's a big part of that. Shrewsberry explained that a large portion of his value comes from his ability as a ball handler, which will make Notre Dame a significantly better offensive team. "The best teams I've been around as a coach — as a head coach, as an assistant Prized Freshman Jalen Haralson Raises Expectations For Year 3 Of The Shrewsberry Era MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Haralson entered Notre Dame as the No. 20 overall recruit in the country, per the Rivals Industry Ranking, and he's set to impact the Irish in multiple ways as a "stat-sheet stuffer." PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS