Notre Dame Football to Host Son of Future NFL Hall of Famer

Notre Dame already has the sons of several NFL legends

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after a play against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football has become the stopping grounds for plenty of sons of NFL legends.

The sons of Jerome Bettis, Brian Urlacher, Ryan Clark, Bryant Young, and plenty of others have come through the doors at Notre Dame in recent years and if Marcus Freeman gets his way, another son of an all-time NFL great may soon be attending school in South Bend.

Jason Witten is one of the best tight ends to ever play in the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys star amassed 11 Pro Bowl appearances in his career. Now the son of Witten, linebacker Cooper Witten of Argyle, Texas will soon be taking in a visit to Notre Dame.

Cooper Witten: Big-Time College Football Recruit

One of Texas’ top 2027 recruits is versatile ATH Cooper Witten (@CooperWitten_), son of Jason. Plays defensive back, but could wind up sliding down to linebacker.

Offers galore, including Michigan, Auburn, Tennessee and Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/9Jc8qQHegm

— Parker Thune (@ParkerThune) February 16, 2025

Cooper Witten is rated as the top linebacker in the 2027 recruiting cycle according to the early ratings from On3. He's also listed as the fifth-overall player from talent-heavy Texas in the class, and the 22nd best player nationally.

Witten checks in at 6-1, 205-pounds and is the younger brother of Rice linebacker CJ Witten, who signed in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Notre Dame will get the an early chance to impress Witten in a quickly approaching visit, but the Irish will have a lot of bluebloods they'll have to beat out in this recruitment. Witten is set to visit Notre Dame on March 22 but also has trips to Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, SMU, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M scheduled for this spring.

Witten fits Marcus Freeman's mold for being a multiple-sport athlete as the football prospect also stars in basketball and track in high school.

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