Not a Backup guy
On Monday, New Jersey running back Nolan James flipped his commitment from the Boston College Eagles to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
BREAKING: Class of 2025 RB Nolan James Jr. has Flipped his Commitment from Boston College to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 5’11 205 RB from Wayne, NJ had been Committed to the Eagles since December 2023
“Go Irish ☘️”https://t.co/dDOeCLhle5 pic.twitter.com/nZfQFnq0Nv
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 12, 2024
The 5’11” 200 pounder from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey, is ranked as a 3-Star prospect across the board, but as we’ve seen over the years — these Jersey running backs are different.
James committed to Boston College in December of last year, and besides the Eagles, he held notable offers from the Syracuse Orange, Duke Blue Devils, Minnesota Gophers, and Virginia Cavaliers.
I think James can develop into a very effective zone runner and the more I have watched him, the more he reminds of former LSU RB Derrius Guice. The Irish played against him in the 2017 Citrus Bowl and he was someone who ran hard through contact and had the feet and vision to make defenders miss once he broke through the line.
I think Notre Dame’s staff did a great job of going after another underrated talent who could end up being a steal.
James is the 24th commitment of the 2025 Notre Dame football recruiting class. While his ranking is nothing that will blow you out of your socks — there is something different about these running backs from the Catholic schools in New Jersey. There’s nothing wrong with a prospect that needs a couple of years of coaching either… it’s called program building, and James has the tools to help Notre Dame win football games in the future.
With the transfer portal, it’s honestly hard to even come close to guessing what the roster may look like next year. As of now, the Irish have 7 running backs for 2025 — but I doubt that will be the case in a few months. Regardless of all of that, the running back room is well stocked with diverse talent that can help the Irish win a lot of football games.