Jonaz Walton had plans.
The Rivals250 running back scheduled five official visits and intended to make a college decision in July. Those plans were scrapped last week when Walton set a commitment date for Wednesday.
His future became clear when Walton announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame via On3 Recruits' YouTube channel. Walton committed to the Irish ahead of finalists Alabama, Florida, Stanford and Tennessee.
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The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Walton grabbed the second running back opening in Notre Dame’s 2026 class after Rivals100 recruit Javian Osborne announced his pledge to the Irish earlier this month. Notre Dame’s 2026 class, which is ranked No. 2 in the country by Rivals behind USC, consists of 15 four-star recruits and one three-star recruit.
Walton received his Notre Dame scholarship offer on Pot of Gold Day in March 2024. He made his first visit to campus in January when running backs coach Deland McCullough was still on ND’s staff following the 2024 season. He returned in April, which allowed him to spend time with new running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. Both visits impressed Walton and put the Irish in contention to land his commitment.
"What made them the right fit for me was the comfortability of being there. Even though it is not necessarily close to home, ever since I visited I knew it was the place I wanted to go to school," Walton told Rivals. "I believe in the direction that Notre Dame is going."
Walton has been a productive running back since playing as a freshman on varsity in 2022. He’s rushed for at least 1,300 yards in each of the past three seasons. After rushing for a combined 3,327 yards and 42 touchdowns in his first two seasons, Walton rushed 188 times for 1,387 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior last fall.
Walton’s speed has been proven on the track. He ran the 100-meter dash in 10.64 seconds last month. His best 200-meter dash came last year with a time of 22.26 seconds.
Rivals ranks Walton as the No. 7 running back and No. 192 overall in the 2027 class. If Osborne and Walton stick to their Notre Dame pledges, they could become the first pair of Rivals250 running backs to sign in the same Irish class since Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston in 2013.
“Walton is one of the most explosive, home run-hitting backs in the 2026 recruiting cycle,” said Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “He joins a backfield with Javian Osborne, who has extraordinary contact balance and is a true between-the-tackles workhorse. Whereas Walton provides that explosive skill set, is a versatile outside runner who is exceptional being a part of the passing game.
“Walton has truly exceptional speed. As an outside runner, when he gets a glimpse of daylight, he is gone in a second. He’s shown instant acceleration and does his best work when he finds himself in space. He’s elusive in the open field. He’s a fantastic cutback runner. That vision shows as a receiver in space and also shows as a kickoff returner. He’s a true threat to score every time he touches the football.”
Walton believes that Notre Dame can get the best out of him.
"The people there made it feel like this was the best move," Walton said. "Everyone’s intention there is to make you the best version of yourself, and it would be hard to pick against a place like that. One thing that helped them separate was their honesty when talking about the place. When you talk to people like Seider, who is going to be straight up with you and honest, it's easy to put your trust into someone like that -- and that goes for everyone there."
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