Notre Dame’s 2027 receiver commit Julius Jones Jr. just put his name at the top of the St. Thomas Aquinas record book.
On Friday night, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound wideout passed Cameron Benson for the school’s career receiving yards mark, reaching 1,897 yards. He did it the right way, too, by catching a touchdown to put a clean finish on the milestone. With only a little more room left in the high school schedule, he’s set to become the first player in school history to top 2,000 career receiving yards.
That’s rare company anywhere, but especially at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St.
Thomas Aquinas, a program that has churned out elite pass catchers for years. Jones Jr. now has more career receiving yards there than Leonard Hankerson, Phillip Dorsett and Elijah Moore.
Even Michael Irvin, the Hall of Famer, doesn’t clear the mark Jones Jr. has built in high school.
Notre Dame landed the 4-star receiver on June 22, 2026, beating out Miami and Oregon. The Irish made him a major priority because of the family connection - he’s the son of former Notre Dame and NFL running back Julius Jones - but the commitment is also about what he can do on the field. In the eyes of the 247Sports Composite Rankings, he checks in as the No. 75 player in the 2027 class, the No. 12 receiver and the No. 15 player in Florida.
The recruiting battle was no small thing. Notre Dame held off more than 40 schools to secure his pledge, with offers that included Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, Missouri, NC State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and West Virginia, among others.
Jones Jr. saved his biggest statistical season for 2025, when he posted 58 catches for 876 yards and 14 touchdowns. He averaged 15.1 yards per reception and helped St.
Thomas Aquinas win its seventh straight state championship. In the title game, he finished with seven receptions for 127 yards.
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