North Carolina, Ohio State and Michigan were the first three schools to offer Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy four-star wide receiver Jayden Thomas. Those came as he entered this sophomore year. Thomas finished with over two dozen offers and Notre Dame came in with an offer in the fall of 2019.
After going through the recruiting process for two-plus years, Thomas committed to the Irish over Arkansas and Georgia on October 2 to honor his grandmother Gracie's, on her birthday.
He tells you how Notre Dame won out for his commitment.
THE BEGINNING: "I was talking with my coach early about how Notre Dame is always on TV," said Thomas. "They are always on NBC, so they were right there every week for me to see. I was a kid, and that is really when I first noticed Notre Dame. They have always been a national team, so it was cool when they offered me.
"They offered me last season before the Virginia Tech game. I met with coach Brian Kelly in his office, and that is when they offered. It was so cool because no other school had offered me like that. It was an eye-opening experience and that is really Notre Dame became a school I was really looking at.
"It was my first visit there, and they had showed attention before, but that visit, the day they offered, and that experience made them a school on my list."
THE TURN: "For a few months after the offer, I talked to coach Alexander a good bit, and the interest was there, but Notre Dame really made the move for me over the quarantine period. That is when I really got close to Notre Dame, that is when they moved into my top five, and that is when they really started to move up my list.
"I was liking Georgia, Alabama, Michigan and schools like that before then, but during the quarantine, me and coach Alexander got really close. We bonded through zoom calls, he worked with me on routes, we talked NFL players, and he showed me something different.
"The relationship went to another level, and March into April is when they made their move. It came down to coach Alexander's connection with me and how Notre Dame recruited me in the spring that kept pushing them up my list."
THE FINALE: "I have known of my decision for about a month. Me and my family had a serious conversation and I told them that I know the place. They agreed with me about Notre Dame, they had noticed my feelings about the school and we all felt the culture just fit me.
"I told Notre Dame the news early September. I let coach Alexander know, so they have known for a while.
"The love they showed just set them apart. I knew late summer that I was going to Notre Dame. They showed the most love. They made me feel the most wanted. Coach Alexander showed me how I would fit in, how he can make me better and it was just the right fit.
"I like coach Kelly a lot too and the connections the school has can set me up longterm. So many things led me to Notre Dame and I know it is the right school and the right fit for me."
