Notre Dame football's 2024 class adds dual-sport athlete Matt Jeffery to commit list
The Notre Dame football program has added a multi-sport athlete to its recruiting class for the second straight year. Following last Saturday’s trip to South Bend, Cheshire (Conn.) High senior Matt Jeffery announced he will pursue an opportunity to play for the Fighting Irish football team.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Jeffery is the country’s top lacrosse recruit. USA Today named him the National High School Boys’ Lacrosse Player of the Year in August. He signed his National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse for Notre Dame earlier this month.
Jeffery plays defensive back and wide receiver for the Cheshire Rams. He will play wide receiver at Notre Dame.
“I am blessed to announce that I have signed to play lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame,” Jeffery said in a social media post. “I will also have the opportunity to compete and play football for the Fighting Irish.”
In the first six weeks of his senior football season, Jeffery registered 30 carries for 206 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and 6 touchdowns. He also caught 8 passes for 189 yards (23.6 yards per catch) and 2 scores. On defense, he accounted for 19 tackles (8 solo) and a pass breakup, per MaxPreps.
Jeffery has missed the last several weeks with a hamstring injury. However, he returned to the lineup Thursday and had 3 interceptions and 3 touchdowns in Cheshire (Conn.) High’s 34-20 victory against Southington in the Apple Valley Classic.
Jeffery will follow Notre Dame freshman wide receiver Jordan Faison by playing football and lacrosse for the Fighting Irish. This season, Faison has caught 11 passes for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns while playing in five games.
Although Faison initially signed with the lacrosse team on scholarship, he counts toward Notre Dame’s 85-man football scholarship limit since he appeared in a football game. The same would be true for Jeffery if he plays a snap in a Notre Dame football game.
The 5-10, 175-pound Faison was a dual-threat quarterback at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest. As a high school senior, he rushed 143 times for 1,661 yards (11.6 yards per carry) and nine scores. He completed 21-46 (45.7%) passes for 280 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
The National Lacrosse Federation ranked Faison as the No. 46 lacrosse player in the 2023 class coming out of high school. He will play midfielder for the Irish. When Jeffery begins playing lacrosse at Notre Dame, he will also be a midfielder.
As a junior, Jeffery scored 55 goals and had 42 assists in 22 games. The year prior, he also scored 55 times but had 57 assists in 21 games.
