Notre Dame finally makes its decision on elite Fighting Irish legacy Xander Edwards after latest recruiting surge

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Notre Dame has prioritized legacy recruits under head coach Marcus Freeman. That looks to continue in the 2028 class after the latest offer.

During Marcus Freeman’s tenure, Notre Dame football has continuously prioritized both Fighting Irish legacies and NFL sons. We have seen the likes of Bryce Young, Devin Fitzgerald, Kaydon Finley, James Flanigan, Jerome Bettis Jr., and Elijah Burress land with the Irish as recruits over the years. Betting on genetics has been a constant under this staff.

Yet, Notre Dame has been hesitant to offer elite 2028 Jacksonville (Fla.) The Bolles School running back Xander Edwards. That changed over the weekend when general manager Mike Martin finally extended that much-anticipated offer. Notre Dame is expected to be a major player in this recruitment if it can make up for lost time, especially with so many top programs also pursuing Edwards.

The hesitation on Edwards has been a bit odd up until this point. He is a dominant player in a good overall talent pool of Florida football. Edwards has also been putting up historic numbers, including breaking the single-game rushing record last season, which was previously held by Derrick Henry. At 6-2 and 215 pounds, Edwards has tested extremely well for a running back of his size.

It will be interesting to see how quickly Notre Dame can make a push for Edwards after he has been offered by Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, and Miami in recent weeks. This is a talented player that Notre Dame should push hard for, no matter what.

Xander Edwards’ recruiting background 

If that last name doesn’t sound familiar, Xander is the son of former Irish star fullback Marc Edwards. The older Edwards played with the team from 1993 to 1996. During that stretch with Notre Dame, Edwards managed to rush for 1,591 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also hauled in another 46 receptions for 598 yards and five scores. 

Edwards was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He spent nine years in the NFL with the 49ers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears. It appears that those genes have certainly been passed on to Xander.

Now a legitimate recruit himself, the younger Edwards is beginning to generate a ton of college interest, and he is really blowing up this offseason. The 6-2, 215-pound runner was a notable performer for the Bolles School as just a freshman two years ago. In 12 games, Edwards rushed for 558 yards and eight touchdowns, an average of 7.2 yards per carry. He added 46 yards on four receptions as a receiver as well.

Now the featured back for Bolles School this past season, Edwards put together a historic run in 2025. During that sophomore campaign, the talented runner exploded for 2,629 yards and 44 touchdowns on just 265 carries, an average of just under 10 yards per carry. Edwards also hauled in another 17 receptions for 211 yards through the air. 

Due to that superb play, Edwards has been pulling in a long list of new offers. Some of the schools that have offered so far include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Miami, Penn State, Florida State, Louisville, UCLA, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Pittsburgh, SMU, West Virginia, Wake Forest, and Syracuse, among several others. 

Edwards has also seen his recruiting rankings due to that elite 2025 season. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Florida standout is ranked as a four-star, the No. 117 overall player, the No. 7 running back, and the No. 17 player from the state of Florida for the 2028 recruiting class. He is rated as a four-star and top-150 overall player by each of the major recruiting platforms now. 

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Notre Dame finally makes its decision on elite Fighting Irish legacy Xander Edwards after latest recruiting surge

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