Former Notre Dame Leading Rusher Heads to CFL

How much has Notre Dame football changed in the last six seasons?

While the development of Notre Dame's secondary in that time could be a senior thesis, it's development at running back is also remarkable.

Former Fighting Irish running back Tony Jones, Jr. is in the news this week because after bouncing around the NFL as a backup, the former IMG Academy star is headed to Canada where he'll play for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.

Tony Jones, Jr. at Notre Dame

Jones played at Notre Dame from 2016-2019, leading the Fighting Irish in rushing in his final season, going for 857 yards and six touchdowns, and one touchdown reception. He wound up with 1,451 rushing yards for his career.

Jones was recruited as a three-star running back in Notre Dame's 2016 recruiting class, and chose the Fighting Irish over the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Cincinnati, and let's not get it confused, Indiana and Illinois weren't hitting on cylinders that either are today.

Jones' most memorable play (see above) came in the 2018 regular season finale at finale, that sent Notre Dame to its first College Football Playoff appearance. Jones was great on the play but what Miles Boykin does to the poor USC defensive back makes it one of my favorite plays since I've been watching the Irish.

However, Jones heading to the CFL is, if nothing else, symbolic considering the current state of Notre Dame's backfield.

Notre Dame's Upgrades at Running Back in Recent Years

This isn't meant as a knock on Jones in any way. He was what he was as a player and has outperformed what any recruiting ranking back in 2016 might have said about him. But it also speaks to Notre Dame football now versus then.

Notre Dame is sending the best running back in college football last season to the NFL in Jeremiyah Love, along with another extremely talented one in Jadarian Price. Looking at those two next to Tony Jones, Jr., the former Fighting Irish leading rusher, is like looking at a Ferrari next to a Corvette and a Chevy Malibu. I trust you can figure out which represents each of the three.

Notre Dame is bringing in a pair of top ten running backs in the 2026 recruiting class in Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne. The two might not be Jeremiyah Love, but if recruiting rankings matter to you, they're also ranked 13 and 14 spots higher at the position than Jones was just under a decade ago.

All the best to Jones as he enters the next phase of his football career, and I truly mean that. However, the backfield he was a part of at Notre Dame with the likes of Dexter Williams and Jafar Armstrong is beyond unrecognizable at this point, and that's a fantastic thing for the Fighting Irish faithful.