2023 Rivals250 RB Jayden Limar commits to Notre Dame
Less than a week after Notre Dame lost its only running back commit in the 2023 class, it received a pledge from another.
On Thursday, four-star Jayden Limar announced his commitment to Notre Dame. The Lake Stevens (Wash.) High product chose the Irish over fellow finalists Arizona, Michigan and Oregon. Limar is ND’s 13th commit in the top-ranked Rivals recruiting class.
The decision comes about a month after his second Notre Dame visit and first trip to campus in the head coach Marcus Freeman Era. Limar had a hunch he would eventually choose the Irish entering his last ND visit, but the experiences during it — including meeting the coaching staff in person — sealed the deal.
“I think that was a good sign,” Limar told Inside ND Sports before publicly announcing his decision. “If I could form a bond with them over the phone like that, I don't think that would change by meeting them in person. They were every bit of what I thought they would be. So, it was great.”
Following his Notre Dame unofficial visit, the No. 1 running back from the West unofficially visited Arizona and Arizona State. Previously, he had unofficially visited Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, Washington and Washington State and camped at Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Texas A&M.
The vibe of Notre Dame’s campus matched what he was seeking.
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"As far as the atmosphere with the players, it was amazing with them,” he said after his visit. “They're all very competitive, and all the commits I was around were cool. Same as the players, they are down-to-earth guys. They are all competitive and want to win. It was a great atmosphere."
Notre Dame and others mainly entered Limar’s recruitment in the summer of 2021. As a junior, he rushed for 2,005 yards and 30 touchdowns on 228 carries (8.79 yards per carry). He also caught 29 passes for 461 yards (15.6 yards per catch).
The No. 241 player in the class provides a dynamic skill set that translates well to the next level.
“Limar possesses many abilities that should be a major asset to Notre Dame’s offense,” national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney said. “In high school, Limar takes a lot of direct snaps and makes things happen because of his vision and patience running behind his offensive line.
“He’s not going to be the biggest back, but Limar can slip arm tackles, keep moving, gain extra yards and not go down easily. The four-star can also be used in motion to catch passes out of the backfield, so an innovative play-caller should be able to get him the ball in a variety of ways.”
Notre Dame has Limar scheduled to officially visit from June 10-12; most Irish commits will be back on campus the same weekend. Limar would become the third player from Washington to sign with ND since 2012, following Tobias Merriweather (2022) and KeiVarae Russell (2012).
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