Four-star RB Jadarian Price commits to Notre Dame
On Christmas Day, four-star running back Jadarian Price announced eight schools as the leaders in his recruitment.
Notre Dame wasn’t on that list as the Irish had yet to offer. But the Irish surged so quickly in Price’s recruitment following an offer on Jan. 26 that Price announced a verbal commitment to Notre Dame less than a month later.
The junior from Denison, Texas, shared the news Sunday on Twitter. He chose Notre Dame over his top eight of Texas, Ohio State, USC, Stanford, Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma State and Minnesota.
“It was quite difficult considering all the amazing opportunities I had sitting in front of me,” Price told the Sherman Herald Democrat. “It was all unreal and sometimes stressful but I chose the one which made me feel comfortable in many aspects.
“When they offered, the media hit hard and it encouraged me to look into Notre Dame further than I had with any other school. So they eventually became one of my top choices immediately.”
Last season at Denison High, Price rushed 174 times for 1,145 yards and 19 touchdowns. Rivals ranks him as the No. 6 all-purpose back and No. 210 overall in the 2022 class. 247Sports slates him as the No. 21 running back and No. 225 overall.
“He’s one of the best backs in the country,” said recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. “That's a major catch for Notre Dame. He has great vision and balance. He can run, catch and block. He plays in one of the top leagues in the country there in the Dallas area. He’s a terrific talent. I’m really impressed by him.”
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Price has yet to visit Notre Dame. He had hoped to visit South Bend this past week, but the bad weather in Texas wiped out his plans. The campus visit would have been self-guided as the NCAA still sits in a recruiting dead period, which prevents Notre Dame staff from meeting in person with Price, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visit delay didn’t put a hold on his commitment timeline.
“I was planning on waiting until the summer, but I knew I was not the only one being recruited by all these schools so there is only so many chances and spots at a full-ride scholarship at any university,” Price told the Herald Democrat. “The circumstances I am facing with COVID and the release of the dead period to where I can’t take the official college visits as easy as I’d like have forced me to come to an early decision.”
The Irish signed a pair of running backs in the 2021 class: four-star recruit Audric Estime from New Jersey and three-star recruit Logan Diggs from Louisiana.
Notre Dame didn't sign a recruit out of Texas in either of the past two recruiting classes. The Irish added defensive linemen Hunter Spears and NaNa Osafo-Mensah from the Lone Star State in the 2019 class.
Price pushed Notre Dame's 2022 class to seven commitments by joining offensive linemen Joey Tanona and Ty Chan, defensive ends Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira, linebacker Nolan Ziegler and tight end Jack Nickel. 247Sports slates the Irish class No. 6 in the country. Rivals ranks it seventh.
