When Peter Jones closed his family’s car door in South Bend on July 27 and started his trek home, it eventually opened up another door of opportunity — one that has him walking through it as a future Notre Dame offensive lineman.
On Sunday morning, the 2024 Rivals100 recruit announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame.
Jones decided to shut down his recruitment and commit to Notre Dame less than two weeks after his second trip to campus. Compared to some of the other recruits who visited, his time spent there was more intentional than playing yard games. He was seriously evaluating Notre Dame as his next home.
In doing so, ND had to overcome one key factor: distance. And the Irish did as the 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman made the about 650-mile trek back to eastern Pennsylvania.
“That whole drive home, I was thinking,” Jones told Inside ND Sports. “That’s when I put it all together.”
A key moment was when Harry Hiestand’s name came up during the car ride back.
During Jones’ first Notre Dame visit in April, the Irish offensive line coach made a big impression on the four-star recruit. Hiestand followed it up by making another one on Jones’ family during their most recent visit, which his mother, sister and one pair of grandparents all attended.
Hiestand, in his first year back at ND after holding the same position with the program from 2012-17, was born in Malvern, Pa. Jones plays his high school ball at Malvern Prep. Ranked by Rivals as the No. 98 overall player, No. 4 offensive guard and No. 4 player in Pennsylvania, Jones ultimately chose Notre Dame over the much closer Penn State.
“They’re both great programs,” Jones said. “But then I started taking into account how well (Notre Dame) produces linemen and coach Hiestand’s track record. I started adding small little things, and then I saw the list add up.”
Jones’s decision became more apparent after visiting Penn State on July 30. It was his fourth trip to State College and seemingly his last.
“After I kind of put (the distance) aside and looked at the school and football itself, the decision was a no-brainer,” he said. “The connection and sense of family at Notre Dame, I felt, was a lot stronger than at Penn State.”
Spending time with other commits on his recent Notre Dame visit, like quarterback CJ Carr and wide receiver Cam Williams, added to that feeling.
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Carr and Williams developed their bond at the June 5 Irish Invasion camp, which also sparked a commitment from tight end Jack Larsen. Carr, Williams and Larsen committed to the Irish within three June weeks.
With Jones in the fold, Notre Dame has six 2024 commits and further separation from Florida State for an early lead for the No. 1 spot in the Rivals team rankings. After earning three 2023 commits in the previous three days, the Irish also sit atop the 2023 team rankings.
The emphasis head coach Marcus Freeman put on recruiting since taking over the helm last December caught the attention of the rising junior.
"You can see that coach Freeman knows what he's doing," Jones said. "He's basically reshaping the Notre Dame program. Everyone talks about how it's the Freeman era, and it is. It's a cool environment. It's different. You can see it when you're there.
"It feels different, and I think other people are starting to buy into that as well."
While Jones still has about two years before starting to make his difference at Notre Dame, his sophomore year at Malvern Prep was a sweet taste of what his presence might look like at the next level. In 10 games last season, Jones aided the Friars in totaling 1,868 rushing yards (186.8 yards per game).
"Peter is an outstanding offensive lineman with many of the physical tools you look for at the high school level," Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman said. "He has a great frame. He's a super physical player that plays until the echo of the whistle. He has good flexibility in his hips to play low and can drive defenders off the ball.
"He's not overly experienced as a pass blocker, and that's where you'll see most of his learning curve come into play at the next level. He has the chance to be one of the top players in the class when all is said and done; he has that type of ceiling."
Since 2013, Notre Dame has added several top offensive linemen from Pennsylvania, including Joshua Lugg, Andrew Kristofic and Michael Carmody. Former first-round NFL Draft pick Mike McGlinchey is perhaps the state's most notable Irish offensive lineman in the last two decades.
Although Jones would like to follow in McGlinchey's footsteps one day, Notre Dame's pitch on life after football helped seal the deal.
"There are a lot of good schools, and that was something that Notre Dame mentioned," he said. "They told me I could go to another school, have success and achieve my goals. Their pitch to me was what life is like after football and how school is going to help me achieve after I'm done with football."
Before committing to Notre Dame, Jones reported 22 scholarship offers, including ones from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Stanford, Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College and Virginia. Notre Dame offered Jones on March 17 for its "Pot of Gold" campaign. About 65 other recruits earned offers that day, which was dedicated to expanding the recruiting board in the 2024 class.
So far, Notre Dame has only offered three other offensive linemen in the 2024 class: four-star tackles Guerby Lambert and Josiah Thompson and three-star guard Kyle Altuner. In the 2023 class, the Irish expect to sign their five commits: Sullivan Absher, Charles Jagusah, Elijah Paige and Sam Pendleton.
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