Notre Dame DE Commit CJ May Has The Tools To Be Special

On Saturday night, Notre Dame received a massive commitment from 2025 Highland Home (Ala.) High School defensive end CJ May. After his commitment, the Alabama native went in depth on his decision making process and why he ultimately chose the Irish.

On film, it is really easy to love May. He seems to have all the tools to be a tremendous football player on the next level. According to Highland Home head coach Will Pouncey, there really is no limit to how good he can be.

"Of course to play on the next level you have to have the measurables,” Pouncey told Irish Breakdown. "CJ has those. Combine that with his worth ethic and you have a tremendous player.

"He comes from a great family,” Pouncey continued. "His dad coached him growing up and has helped him to continue to develop as a player. He goes to camps, any different type of field work he can to work on his flaws. He’s never satisfied.”

Clearly, those tools are impressive. As is his attention to detail and work ethic. If developed properly, the blue and gold will not be the last uniform we see May in long term.

"With his work ethic and standard of excellence, the NFL is definitely right there,” Pouncey explained. "Obviously I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. He has to develop into that type of player in college but the ceiling is incredibly high, All American level. He has the measurables. He has the get off. He has the work ethic. Everything is there.”

For a high school junior, the recruiting process can be daunting. According to Pouncey, May navigated the process as well as he could have.

"He handled the recruiting process really well,” he said. "CJ was getting attention from all over the country. He was taking trips, doing his research and asking the right questions. He had done enough to really understand what he was looking for and see what each school could offer.”

Ultimately Notre Dame won out in the end. It was the authenticity of the pitch, and consistency that really separated them.

"Coach (Marcus) Freeman and the rest of the staff did a remarkable job recruiting CJ,” he explained. "They have been authentic and very honest with him. They laid out perfectly why Notre Dame was the place he needed to be.”

Whenever you’re going from Alabama to South Bend, Indiana, there are going to be some questions about transition. Some players make it seamlessly and others struggle with it. Pouncey believe that May has the personality to make an easy transition.

"CJ has a special gift,” Pouncey stated. "He can walk into any room and speak to anybody. He is such an engaging and outgoing kid. He’s always going to be comfortable in the room, kind of the life of the room really.”

As a person, player and student, May appears to be a great fit with Notre Dame. Getting a player like this out of the state or Alabama is a massive pull.

The 6-4, 225-pound pass rusher chose Notre Dame over a long list of impressive offers. Some of the premier programs who have offered include Georgia, Clemson, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt among others.

May is considered a four-star recruit both on the 247Sports and On3 Industry rankings. The former has him the highest, currently pegging the Alabama native as the No. 171 overall player and No. 18 edge defender in the 2025 recruiting class.

As a sophomore, May put together a quality season for Highland Home. He registered 50 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

Through four games as a junior, May has collected 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks. He has also broken up three passes so far.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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