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Notre Dame football fans will soon feel very old when watching the Fighting Irish on Saturdays. A trio of now-retired NFL stars will have sons on the roster come 2025.
Ivan Taylor, Elijah Burress, and Jerome Bettis, Jr. have all announced commitments to the program, providing Marcus Freeman’s bunch with star power in a stacked ’25 recruiting class.
That cycle, at the time of this writing, ranks seventh in the nation according to On3 Sports. No other program will boast more direct NFL ties.
If you haven’t already deciphered by the last names of that bunch, they are the sons of Jerome Bettis, Plaxico Burress, and Ike Taylor – each of whom suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers in early to mid-2000s.
Taylor and Bettis won a Super Bowl as teammates in 2005, while Burress was in the Steel City the five years prior to that championship. He’d later hoist a Lombardi trophy as a member of the Giants while Taylor would go onto win a second title with the Steelers in 2008.
Now, the next generation is on its way, and wouldn’t you know it, they’ve all found success on the football field!
Jerome Bettis Ike Taylor Plaxico Burress and theirs sons who will all be playing at Notre Dame together #steelers pic.twitter.com/GCeLszDaEj
— Matthew Luciow (@matthewluciow92) June 17, 2024
Ivan Taylor is a four-star defensive back, following in the footsteps of his NFL father. The most highly rated of the trio, he’s listed as a Top 50 prospect by both 247 Sports and ESPN.
Jerome Bettis, Jr., meanwhile, ditched running back to line up out wide as a receiver. A three-star talent by most sites, he holds offers from the likes of Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Georgia Tech. Bettis spurned those suitors to play for his father’s alma mater.
Wide receiver Elijah Burress could line up opposite of his classmate, who boasts four-star status on ESPN’s recruiting site.
Notre Dame’s roster will make you feel very old!
Many who’ve grown up fans of the sport watched those NFL dads suit up for the Steelers over 20 years ago. Each has been retired from pro ball for at least a decade, with the Bettis era in Pittsburgh ending nearly 20 years from today.
This group follows a 2024 cycle that also saw a number of familiar names, including past pro stars like Brian Urlacher, Willis McGahee, and Matt Hasselbeck – the QB who fell to the Steelers in that previously mentioned 2005 Super Bowl.
If things go as planned, this most recent trio will continue on to the NFL where they could play against or alongside Joey Porter, Jr. – who was fittingly drafted by the Steelers in the second round this past April.
Feeling old yet? You will!