Notre Dame lands 2028 safety Andre Jones, pairing him with brother Julius Jones Jr. in the Irish secondary outlook

The Fighting Irish secured their first position-player commitment in the 2028 class when St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back Andre Jones pledged to play in South Bend, shortly after his older brother, Julius Jones Jr., made the same choice.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

Notre Dame’s recruiting board for the 2028 class took a clear step forward on Tuesday when St. Thomas Aquinas product Andre Jones committed to the Fighting Irish. The commitment adds a defensive back prospect to a program that has repeatedly emphasized secondary playmaking and football intelligence, and it also tightens the family connection in the class after Jones’ older brother, Julius Jones Jr., committed to Notre Dame moments earlier.

Jones, described by Yahoo Sports as a “talented 2028 safety” and as a four-star defensive back, is coming from powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, a school known for producing college-ready defenders. Notre Dame’s staff will be looking to turn that preparation into a fit within its defensive back rotation, where safeties are often tasked with both coverage decision-making and run support responsibilities depending on the opponent.

The timing matters in a recruiting cycle because it suggests Notre Dame’s priorities for the 2028 defensive back group were clearly in sync with the Jones family. According to the report, Notre Dame landed its first position-player commitment in the 2028 class with Andre Jones, and the brother-to-brother sequence gives the Irish another lever for continuity and development, especially for a young secondary prospect still years away from campus.

Julius Jones Jr., the older brother referenced in the report, is also headed to Notre Dame as part of that same 2028 push. While the Yahoo Sports account centers on Andre’s commitment, it frames the brothers as a combined recruiting win for Notre Dame, with the promise of added comfort as both players transition into the program’s recruiting and eventual development pipelines.

From a Notre Dame perspective, the commitment is part of building depth for the years when roster turnover is expected to arrive. Recruiting early in the process does not guarantee playing time, but it can help a program shape position groups with longer-term goals, including recruiting for specific coverage styles and schemes the coaching staff wants to establish well before the first season of meaningful roster competition.

For St. Thomas Aquinas, the Jones brothers’ choices reflect how frequently elite high school programs feed into Division I football and why programs with NFL-caliber expectations place a premium on recruiting momentum. For Notre Dame fans, the key takeaway is that the Irish are not just pursuing talent but also using relationships and trust to land commitments that can reinforce a defensive back culture.

Why It Matters

The addition bolsters Notre Dame’s defensive back pipeline for the 2028 class, helping shape depth well ahead of roster turnover.
A brother pair in the same class can add recruiting continuity and make development planning more coherent within the program’s long-range strategy.
Notre Dame’s early position-player commitment in the 2028 cycle suggests the staff is prioritizing targeted recruiting wins on the defensive side of the ball.
The emphasis on a safety prospect underscores the Irish focus on secondary intelligence and versatility as the program continues to evolve its defensive identity.

Sources

Key Facts

Andre Jones committed to Notre Dame as part of the 2028 recruiting class, according to Yahoo Sports.
The report describes Jones as a safety and a four-star defensive back.
Yahoo Sports says this was Notre Dame’s first position-player commitment in the 2028 class.
The commitment came moments after his older brother, Julius Jones Jr., also committed to Notre Dame, per the report.
Andre Jones is from St. Thomas Aquinas.