Notre Dame has made a habit of backtracking twice in recruiting cycles in recent years and looks set to do so again after adding Nolan James Jr. in the 2025 cycle.

The Irish staff flipped Boston College’s James Jr., making it the fourth jumper Notre Dame has been able to pull off this cycle, with hopefully more to come.

At 5-11, 205 pounds, James Jr. is a strong fullback with a sneaky guile that often catches defenders off guard. His upright running style and patience in the pit are not something that is common in today’s game, but his acceleration and elusiveness after passing through the pit are noticeable.

James Jr. is an athlete with fluid speed who doesn’t appear to move that fast when running, but continues to gain space between himself and trailing defenders as he heads into the end zone.

The New Jersey product was committed to Boston College for almost a year before Notre Dame turned up the heat and eventually flipped him. Running backs coach Deland McCullough was targeting two backs this cycle, and when former Irishman Daniel Anderson left his position, Notre Dame went all-in on James Jr. and never looked back.

He joins Justin Thurman as Notre Dame’s two running backs in the 2025 class, a combination that complements each other well. Thurman, one of the top scorers of the 2025 cycle, has more straight-line speed and home run ability, while James Jr. He can gain challenging distances between tackles and rarely goes down at first contact.

Speaking to those in touch with the rankings at 247Sports and On3, we expect James Jr. to take off in a big way before this class is over. He’s currently a three-star athlete, but many expect him to jump into four-star territory, perhaps even the highest four-star territory, very soon.

Notre Dame should continue to rotate Boston College’s top commits as much as possible each cycle.

Boubacar Traore and Nolan James Jr. Two looks good.