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Irish Breakdown

The Notre Dame Up-And-Comer Who Showed Up Jacked to Spring Practice

It's clear where an up-and-coming Notre Dame legacy spent his past few months
Nick Shepkowski|
Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) celebrates with wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. (15) during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium.
Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) celebrates with wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. (15) during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame football began spring practice on Friday and it was crystal clear that one rising player hasn't been missing any workouts of late.

Jerome Bettis, Jr., a rising sophomore wide receiver showed up to practice and looks like he has gone from being a boy to a man in the last few months.

Bettis came to Notre Dame listed at 190 pounds on his recruiting pages and played last year looking pretty close to the same size.

During that time, he saw action in one game, catching a pass against Navy that went for six yards.

Fast forward to spring practice and Bettis looks like a young man on a mission. Don't just take my word for it, though. Instead, check out the photos below.

The first is from spring practice a year ago, when Bettis had freshly enrolled at Notre Dame and was wearing a different number.

Obviously, I'm talking about the photo on the left, but sure, there has been a transformation from the one on the right, too.

Anyway, I digress.

Below is a photo and a video of Bettis from Notre Dame's first practice of the spring on Friday. It's safe to say he looks more than a little bit thicker.

Bettis is listed at 17 pounds heavier than he was recruited at, and eight pounds heavier than he was listed at during the 2025 regular season.

It doesn't mean that Bettis is primed for a breakout year, but its something you certainly like seeing when you there isn't a whole lot else to go off of.

Tae Johnson Makes Highlight Play During First Spring Practice

Another head-turner at the first practice of the spring was the play of Tae Johnson at safety. Those covering the practice spoke highly of Johnson and not long after, the Notre Dame media team provided the video to back it all up.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

It's spring, and it's perfectly OK to get excited about things; both of these things fit the category.

Personally, I love seeing the clear effort Bettis put in this offseason. That doesn't happen without dedication, and it wouldn't surprise me if he got a little sick of hearing about being the son of a legend and used it as fuel in creating his own legacy.

As for Johnson, the sky is the limit. Like Leonard Moore the year before, Johnson was a Freshman All-American last season and looks poised to make a run at All-American status this coming season.

The play shown is pure athleticism and speaks to the ridiculous level of talent in the defensive backs room that should make it one of the nation's top units again this fall.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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