Notre Dame Commit Julius Jones Jr. Breaks 47-Year-Old Record at Florida Powerhouse

The four-star St. Thomas Aquinas receiver passed a mark that had stood since the late 1970s at the school that produced Michael Irvin, Phillip Dorsett, Elijah Moore and Leonard Hankerson.

Aquinas wide receiver Julius Jones (#81) pulls down a pass as Mooney defender Nick Renteria (#3) makes the tackle. The Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School Cougars hosted the St. Thomas Aquinas High School Raiders in their first football game of the season Friday, Aug. 14, 2026 in Sarasota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There are high school receiving records, and then there are the ones set at St. Thomas Aquinas, which are two slightly different things.

Notre Dame commit Julius Jones Jr. became the Raiders' all-time leader in career receiving yards Saturday during St. Thomas Aquinas' 38-14 win over DeSoto, pushing his career total to 1,897 yards. The previous mark belonged to Cameron Benson, who finished with 1,885 yards in the late 1970s. For the historians in the room, that was back when Jimmy Carter was president, ESPN wasn’t around, and if someone mentioned the transfer portal you probably thought they were referencing something from Star Wars.

For decades, nobody at one of the country's most famous programs caught enough passes for enough yards to move Benson out of the top spot. Until Jones.

This Is Not an Easy Record to Break

Consider the receivers who played at St. Thomas Aquinas without reaching 1,897 career yards. Michael Irvin didn't. Neither did Phillip Dorsett, Elijah Moore or Leonard Hankerson, and now Jones sits above all of them. Jones did much of the climbing as an underclassman, catching 58 passes for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior in 2025.

The Class of 2027 prospect committed to Notre Dame in June, following his father, former Fighting Irish and NFL running back Julius Jones, to South Bend. His younger brother Andre Jones, a four-star defensive back in the 2028 class, is also committed to Notre Dame. Apparently one Jones legacy in South Bend isn’t enough.

Aquinas Made a Statement

The record didn't arrive in some quiet September game where Aquinas could empty the bench by halftime. It came against DeSoto, the defending Texas state champion, in one of the weekend's biggest interstate matchups. The Eagles declined to shake hands before kickoff. Aquinas answered once the game started.

Aquinas led 38-0 at the break before closing it out to move to 2-0. Jones is only beginning his senior season. Every yard from here does something Benson's record avoided for decades.

It moves the target.