Nearly 32 years after his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, made his mark at Notre Dame, Jerome Bettis Jr. is set to continue the family legacy in South Bend.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound prospect from the class of 2025 hails from Woodward Academy in Georgia.
He announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish, choosing Notre Dame over Texas A&M, Duke, and Ole Miss.
☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/JcZVgKctla
— Jerome Bettis Jr (@jeromebettisjr) March 17, 2024
Speaking to ESPN, Bettis Jr. expressed his excitement about following in his father’s footsteps while also carving out his own path.
“One of the biggest things was changing my number, and so me really getting my number away from his, that was a big step for me realizing that at the end of the day, I’m my own man,” Bettis told ESPN.
“I love my dad and I love everything that I guess comes with him being my father, but at the same time, I create my own legacy and my own journey,” he added.
All these legend's sons in the league makes me feel ancient
— Anthony Russo (@Anthony_Russo97) March 17, 2024
Bettis Jr., who initially played youth football as a running back wearing his father’s #36 jersey, made a deliberate decision to switch positions to wide receiver in seventh grade and changed his jersey number to #4 in eighth grade to establish his own identity.
“I wanted to make sure coaches understood that they were recruiting a different person and that they weren’t just recruiting me because of the last name on his jersey,” Bettis Jr. said. “That’s something that was really important to me.”
Notre Dame has landed Jerome Bettis Jr the son of Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis.Jr is a talented WR with strong hands, good speed excellent body control and balance. He is also a standout safety prospect. 6'3" 190 and very athletic. catches everything within his frame. pic.twitter.com/LxhLU7Zy9S
— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) March 17, 2024
While Bettis Sr. was involved in the recruiting process, Bettis Jr. asserted that he made his decision independently.
“I viewed the pros and cons and took it to my father and asked him what he thought about it and his thoughts on me making the decision,” Bettis Jr. explained.
“First, he wanted to make sure I was completely certain and after that, he was super happy.”
Heck yes. Go Irish ☘️
— Chris Galicki (@cgalicki06) March 17, 2024
“They made sure super early on that it was known they recruited me for me and not my father,” Bettis Jr. said. “They wanted me to know that they want Jerome Bettis Jr. at Notre Dame because of what he can bring, not just because of what comes along with me and my name.”
“That’s something that was really important to me, because I wasn’t sure how they viewed me and my dad and the entire situation, so for them to reassure me was great.”
The Bus is my favorite player… good luck young man.
— Nole4Life (@412Burghfan) March 17, 2024
Bettis Jr. is clearly confident in his abilities and knows the value he will ultimately bring to the Irish.
“They’re getting a larger target that can make plays down the field,” he said. “I can catch any ball that’s thrown my way. That, with the new offense we’re going to see this year with Coach [Mike] Denbrock, is going to be exciting.”
Perhaps it was inevitable all along, but what are your thoughts on Marcus Freeman and the Irish landing Bettis Jr.?
Do you think he will live up to the hype?
As far as this coming season, what are your thoughts on Notre Dame?
With star quarterback Riley Leonard transferring in from Duke and the playoff field expanding to 12-teams, do you look at the Irish as legitimate national title contenders???
Jerome Bettis didn’t feed his kid enough food
— Squid (@sikane02) March 17, 2024