With over ten prospects slated to be in South Bend for the USC weekend on an official visit that were either uncommitted or a “soft” verbal elsewhere, Notre Dame had quite the stage to either help or hurt their chances of adding to the 2010 recruiting class.
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Jones' switch gives Notre Dame 16 verbal commitments in the 2010 class.
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The recruit in the group that they looked to have the best shot at landing was Gainesville (Ga.) wide receiver Tai-ler Jones, and he was actually in the group of players that had already given their commitment to another school.
But that changed quickly after he returned home from the weekend in South Bend. BlueandGold.com received confirmation that Jones contacted the coaches at Notre Dame to become the 16th verbal of the 2010 recruiting class.
"I committed to Notre Dame," Jones confirmed via text to BlueandGold.com on Sunday evening.
Jones, the son of former Irish defensive end Andre (1987-91), committed to Stanford on April 16 after narrowing down his list to the Cardinal, Cal, Georgia, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State and UCLA a couple weeks before. He received a junior day offer from the Irish after longing for one from his father’s alma mater, and despite his pledge to Stanford he kept a continued interest in the program.
A month after holding the press conference in the Gainesville High School lobby to announce his original decision, he reported that he scheduled an official visit to Notre Dame for the Oct. 17 matchup against USC, and he followed through and did just that.
With the Irish playing tough against one of the top teams in the nation and his connection to the program, Jones was able to find what he was looking for during the return trip to South Bend.
Jones, who is a Rivals.com four-star recruit, the nation’s No. 16 wide receiver and the No. 121 overall player in the country, had 81 receptions for 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2008. He plans on graduating early.
The 6-foot-0, 174-pound legacy makes the third wide receiver in this year’s recruiting haul.
Check back with BlueandGold.com for more on Notre Dame’s newest verbal commitment.
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