A stable
On Wednesday, it was more good news for Irish fans as 4-Star running back, Jonaz Walton, gave his commitment to Notre Dame and its 2026 football recruiting class.
BREAKING: Four-Star RB Jonaz Walton has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 5’10 210 RB from Carrollton, GA chose the Fighting Irish over Alabama, Stanford, & Florida
“Feeling lucky
”https://t.co/Ggf7HrO7cb pic.twitter.com/0mcaj2VaKx
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 14, 2025
Walton chose the Irish over his other finalists that included the Stanford Cardinal, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Florida Gators. Besides those programs, Walton held offers from all over the country including the Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, and more.
He has the size, agility, and power to develop into a heck of an inside runner. I think he can get quite a bit bigger as well. He’s 205 pounds right now, but he looks like he could be up around 220 when he’s at Notre Dame.
The size and long speed are very reminiscent of current Notre Dame running back Kedren Young, but since he is only getting started in his college career, my comp for Walton is a back who just finished up at Clemson. Walton reminds me a lot of Phil Mafah in that he doesn’t have elite acceleration, but is a load when he gets downhill and finishes runs.
Walton is the 16th commitment for Notre Dame’s 2026 class, and the second skill player from the state of Georgia. Notre Dame’s class remains the 2nd ranked class in the country according to the 247 Team Composite Rankings.
It won’t look like this in the fall of 2026, but on paper right now, Notre Dame’s running back room is absolutely loaded with talent and overstocked with numbers. The combination of Osborne and Walton are like a wall of defense for running back recruiting as they shore up a one man class from last year — and also make the take for 2027 a bit pickier.
Over the last decade, Notre Dame has really got back to being one of the best rushing teams in the country, and a player like Walton does nothing but help improve that cause. I love Jaime’s comparison of Walton to Mafah — because I absolutely loved Mafah at Clemson. This is fantastic stuff.