{"id":58537,"date":"2024-03-19T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=58537"},"modified":"2024-03-18T18:32:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T22:32:07","slug":"jerome-bettis-jr-commits-to-notre-dame-on-pot-of-gold-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/03\/19\/jerome-bettis-jr-commits-to-notre-dame-on-pot-of-gold-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerome Bettis Jr. Commits to Notre Dame on \u201cPot of Gold\u201d Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

The luck of the Irish was certainly with Notre Dame on St. Patrick\u2019s Day, when the Irish landed a verbal commitment from wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr.<\/strong>, the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Fighting Irish running back Jerome Bettis<\/strong>. A three-star receiver on Rivals.com from Atlanta, Georgia, Bettis selected Notre Dame over Texas A&M, North Carolina State, Boston College, Duke, and Arkansas, among others. The Notre Dame program calls St. Patrick\u2019s Day \u201cPot of Gold\u201d Day<\/strong> when up to 100 offers are extended.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made the school so special for me is the feeling I get when I\u2019m there and the comfortability and sense of home that makes the place super special,\u201d Bettis Jr. told 247Sports.<\/p>\n

If Bettis has even half the heart and spirit of his father, Notre Dame\u2019s receiving corps is primed for a resurgence. Listed at 6\u20192\u201dand 190 pounds, Bettis is ranked by 247Sports as the 83rd<\/sup>-ranked wide receiver in the 2025 class, and the 671st<\/sup> player overall. Last year, Bettis showcased his versatility by playing both ways for Woodward Academy, a program that was in contention for a state championship. Bettis finished last season with 30 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns. Bettis is part of the 2025 recruiting class.<\/p>\n

A Formidable Legacy<\/h3>\n

Bettis Sr. left an indelible mark during his three-year college football career at Notre Dame. Playing under Lou Holtz<\/strong>, he amassed 1,912 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he etched his name into Notre Dame\u2019s record books. He recorded a remarkable milestone with 23 total touchdowns in a single season. His prowess on the field made him a first-round selection (10th<\/sup> overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft. Bettis went on to achieve legendary status in the NFL, accumulating over 13,000 rushing yards for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles\/St. Louis Rams over 12 years. His illustrious career culminated in a Super Bowl victory and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

The younger Bettis posted his commitment announcement on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. \u201cSome say it\u2019s legacy to follow my father\u2019s footsteps,\u201d Bettis wrote. \u201cSome say I should create my own destiny. Growing up as a Bettis, I\u2019ve heard all about the ways Notre Dame can change your life academically and athletically. I\u2019ve always been inspired by my dad\u2019s career in college and the NFL, but it\u2019s time to start my own journey and I\u2019m excited for the next chapter. So, is it legacy? Or am I changing my destiny? It\u2019s both, and my story is only beginning. I\u2019m blessed to announce my commitment to the University of Notre Dame.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following His Father\u2019s Footsteps<\/h3>\n

If the apple doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree, the younger Bettis could be poised for greatness when he dons the blue and gold. His football journey began in youth football when he played as a running back. He wore the same No. 36 as his father once did. Bettis made a pivotal decision to transition to wide receiver in seventh grade. The following year, he switched jersey numbers to No. 4. The change represented a path to forge his own way and separate from his father\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne 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\u2019m my own man,\u201d Bettis said to ESPN. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The comparisons to his father are certain to surface. Regardless, Bettis is looking forward to the opportunity of playing for Mike Denbrock, Notre Dame’s new offensive coordinator<\/a>. “They’re getting a larger target who can make plays down the field,” Bettis 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<\/strong> is going to be exciting.”<\/p>\n

The third receiver to commit in the 2025 class, Bettis has big shoes to fill. With a formidable recruiting class generating excitement, there is palpable anticipation surrounding Bettis\u2019 arrival in South Bend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo courtesy: Texasags<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The luck of the Irish was certainly with Notre Dame on St. Patrick\u2019s Day, when the Irish landed a verbal commitment from wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr., the son of NFL Hall of Famer and former Fighting Irish running back Jerome Bettis. A three-star receiver on Rivals.com from Atlanta, Georgia, Bettis selected Notre Dame over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4854,"featured_media":58541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7316,11,2],"tags":[19999,33341,6566,6781,259,33343,26014,33342],"class_list":["post-58537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recruiting","category-independents","category-featured","tag-jerome-bettis","tag-jerome-bettis-sr","tag-lou-holtz","tag-mike-denbrock","tag-notre-dame-fighting-irish","tag-pot-of-gold-day","tag-pro-football-hall-of-fame","tag-woodward-academy"],"modified_by":"Maggie Yarnell, Senior Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}