Dust off the Notre Dame football jersey with the name Bettis on the back as Jerome Bettis Jr., the son of the Fighting Irish and Pittsburgh Steeler legend Jerome Bettis, has committed to the team starting in 2025. He announced his commitment to the school Sunday over other programs like Texas A&M, Duke, and Ole Miss, and while the comparisons are inevitable, he said that the biggest step was changing his number away from his father's at 36 as he is his “own man” in an interview with Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.
“One of the biggest things was changing my number, and so me really getting my number away from his, that was a big step for me realizing that at the end of the day, I'm my own man,” Bettis . “I love my dad and I love everything that I guess comes with him being my father, but at the same time, I create my own legacy and my own journey.”
While he did play running back like his father in high school, he switched to playing wide receiver as he is 6-foot-2, 195-pounds. He was candid in talking about the recruiting process with the schools interested, especially the Notre Dame football program which spoke to him for his talents and not just his father.
“They made sure super early on that it was known they recruited me for me and not my father,” Bettis said. “They wanted me to know that they want Jerome Bettis Jr. at Notre Dame because of what he can bring, not just because of what comes along with me and my name. That's something that was really important to me, because I wasn't sure how they viewed me and my dad and the entire situation, so for them to reassure me was great.”
Bettis Jr. talked about the decision with his father to join Fighting Irish
However, with a big decision for Bettis Jr. to choose the college to attend and play college football, he of course weighted the options with his father. While it was his decision at the end of the day, there is no doubt that his dad loved the decision to attend Notre Dame.
“I viewed the pros and cons and took it to my father and asked him what he thought about it and his thoughts on me making the decision,” Bettis said. “First, he wanted to make sure I was completely certain and after that, he was super happy. Just the initial reaction from him and the joy I could see on his face, that was something super special for me to witness.”
Besides the legacy he brings, how can Bettis Jr. impact the Fighting Irish as a part of the Class of 2025? In his eyes, he's a large target that can “make plays down the field” and predicts that his play will be “exciting.”
“They're getting a larger target that can make plays down the field,” Bettis said via ESPN. “I can catch any ball that's thrown my way. That, with the new offense we're going to see this year with Coach [Mike] Denbrock, is going to be exciting.”
Bettis Jr. posted a video to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account announcing his decision as it started with an old picture of his father and himself dressed as Bettis Sr. when he was on the Steelers. It should be an emotional time for the Bettis family and as for the Notre Dame football team, they are looking to improve next season as they were 10-3 and finished with a rank of No. 16 in the county.
☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/JcZVgKctla
— Jerome Bettis Jr (@jeromebettisjr) March 17, 2024
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