Notre Dame Was A Done Deal For Justin Thurman After Grill And Chill Visit

Notre Dame received a big commitment in the 2025 recruiting class from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit running back Justin Thurman. The Florida speedster visited Notre Dame for the second time this past weekend, helping to solidify his decision.

Truthfully, the visit was more of a formality. Notre Dame was where Thurman wanted to be, but the trip served as a form of verification, and a last checkpoint in his decision making process.

"It was great to get back on campus,” Thurman told Irish Breakdown. "I had the opportunity to tour the campus, get deeper into the academics and experience everything from a football perspective.”

Thurman brought his whole family on campus, including his parents and his sister Sydney, who attends the University of Kentucky. It was his sister’s first trip to campus, which was also extremely important for Thurman. This was a family decision and her opinion mattered greatly.

"My sister also got the chance to come this time,” Thurman explained. "It was her first time on campus, which was important. On Saturday night, we had a family conversation and she just spoke about how impressed she was with everything. She said Notre Dame is the place for me after seeing everything. It was a done deal after that conversation.”

Even before the rest of the recruits got on campus on Sunday for the “Chill and Grill” recruiting cookout, Thurman had already made his commitment to the staff. The rest of the weekend was about bonding with his future coaches, and some of his future teammates. That was another big success.

"Being around the other recruits, it was a great time to be able to spend time with them and their parents,” he said. "We got to do a lot of activities. At one point, we were doing trivia around the campus and had a cook off as well. It was cool to be a little competitive and just have a great time.”

Thurman’s parents have been sold on Notre Dame for some time. This trip did nothing but solidified things, making them feel a part of the family. In reality, the Irish staff made all the parents feel at home, including Thurman’s father who got to spend some bonding time with Marcus Freeman.

“Not just my parents but all the parents really loved it,” said Thurman. “The environment was so welcoming. It was just incredible, and has been the whole time.

"My dad also had the chance to be able to play cornhole with Coach Freeman,” he added. "He got the win over a Coach Free. He told me that he needs to have a rematch against my dad.”

When a player as talented as Thurman is on the board, it’s a pretty easy sell for Notre Dame. His big time speed is easy to see on film, as well as Thurman’s potential rise on the horizon. Already ranked as a four-star by multiple platforms, there feels like the ceiling is much higher with a bigger work volume in 2023.

Then you add in the person and student that Thurman is, and it’s an easier sell. From all vantage points, Thurman is a tremendous fit with Notre Dame and a great early addition to the 2025 class.

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Irish Breakdown Content

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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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