Notre Dame trending heavily for 2025 WR and Irish legacy Jerome Bettis Jr.

After extending an offer back in March to Jerome Bettis Jr., a rising 2025 wide receiver prospect and the son of Notre Dame legend Jerome Bettis, the Fighting Irish are trending heavily to land the program legacy.

Following an expert prediction from BlueandGold.com‘s Mike Singer, the Fighting Irish hold a 98.6 percent chance of securing Bettis Jr.’s eventual commitment.

The Irish join Arkansas, Missouri, Boston College, Marshall and UAB and more as programs who have extended an offer to Bettis Jr. thus far. But the Notre Dame one was particularly meaningful for him.

“It’s a special school,” he told BlueandGold.com in May after a recent visit. “Something my dad has told me a lot is how much they emphasize ‘four for 40.’ When you go to Notre Dame, it impacts you for the rest of your life. That’s something different than a lot of other schools — the caliber of academics there. That stands out to me a lot.”

Bettis Jr. is the No. 402 overall prospect in the 2025 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the nation’s No. 58 wide receiver and the No. 42 recruit in Georgia.

Latest visit stood out to Jerome Jr. and his family

The 6-3, 185-pounder visited Notre Dame last November for the Clemson game, but at that point, he didn’t hold any Division scholarship offers. His visit last month was his first time on campus armed with a Notre Dame offer, and the staff made him feel like a priority.

“It was great,” Bettis added. “One of the highlights of the trip was getting to connect with Coach [Chansi] Stuckey. We’ve been talking a lot before the visit, so finally getting to see him in person was great. We talked a lot.

… They assured me that they’re recruiting me for me. They don’t think that because of my father that I’m 100 percent locked in with them. They want to make sure I go through the process just like everyone else.”

Jerome Bettis Sr. recently graduated from Notre Dame

Nearly three decades after he left Notre Dame for the NFL in the early 1990s, Jerome Bettis Sr. made his way back to South Bend for another special occasion last spring: his college graduation.

Bettis Sr. donned a cap and gown and walked across the stage with thousands of other Notre Dame students, though the man known as “The Bus” might’ve stood out a little more than most.

During his time in the NFL, Bettis was one top ball carriers in the entire league. He accumulated 13,664 rushing yards and 91 rushing touchdowns over his career, while adding 1,457 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on 200 receptions, as well.

And now, it appears his son will follow in his footsteps by donning the golden helmet.