Decision Day for Julius Jones, Jr. - Will it Be Notre Dame or Miami?

Notre Dame goes head-to-head with rival Miami for the commitment of one of the top receivers in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One of the bigger remaining fish in the 2027 recruiting pond for Notre Dame will announce his college decision on Monday afternoon, and it's essentially a must-land for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish.

Julius Jones, Jr., yes, the son of that Julius Jones, is set to announce his commitment at 12:30 p.m. ET on the Pat McAfee Show, and there are just two finalists for the talented wide receiver: Notre Dame and Miami.

Julius Jones, Jr. as a Recruit

Jones is projected to be a difference maker at wide receiver wherever he ends up choosing to play college football.

He checks in at 5-10, 170 pounds, and is ranked as the nation's 81st overall player in the 2027 recruiting cycle (No. 14 overall player) by On3.

Jones stars at one of the most dominant high school football programs in the country, St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As a junior last fall he hauled in 58 receptions for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns as Aquinas won its seventh straight state championship in the talent-loaded state of Florida.

The wide receiver is also a speedster on the track as he clocked in times of 10.52 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.93 in the 200-meter dash as a junior.

Miami's Chances to Land Julius Jones, Jr.

Say what you want about Miami in years previous, it has found its footing under Mario Cristobal. It's a program that much like Notre Dame, is no longer talking about yesterday and instead has its eyes on competing for national championships for the forseeable future.

For Jones, that's an easy sell as his high school is located less than 15 miles from where Miami plays its home games.

Miami has developed wide receivers at a high level, with Malachi Toney bursting onto the scene as a true freshman last season, and being a major reason the Hurricanes made it to the national championship game.

Notre Dame's Chances to Land Julius Jones, Jr.

From the moment it was discovered that Notre Dame great Julius Jones had a son that was a star football player, the odds have seemed to favor Marcus Freeman and company.

There is a credit to Miami for staying in this recruiting battle as long as it has, as many would have probably packed up shop and moved on long ago.

Julius Jones Sr showing Jr the way! You love to see it! ☘️

📸 @CathVSConf pic.twitter.com/p0CIiiPjpZ

— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) June 20, 2026

To Jones' credit, he didn't by default just follow his father's lead and seems to have examined his options, as Oregon was a player here for quite some time as well.

After visiting Notre Dame this past weekend on what was a massive recruting weekend for the Fighting Irish, it seems like all the right buttons were pushed and any final questions that needed to be answered were taken care of.

Nick Shepkowski's Prediction:

If you could find betting odds on this one, the payout wouldn't be very great, but it seems like it's free money at this point.

Keeping up with the Joneses.
Former Notre Dame running back Julius Jones Sr. is on campus today with his sons Julius Jones Jr. and Andre Jones for Julius Jr.'s official visit.https://t.co/dPVNSIkxQE pic.twitter.com/qxVEJoSwGU

— Tyler James (@TJamesND) June 19, 2026

I fully expect Julius Jones, Jr. to be wearing a Notre Dame hat (or shirt, or whatever) when his interview on the Pat McAfee Show wraps up early Monday afternoon.