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Recruiting Q&A: Notre Dame RB commit Justin Thurman at Orlando Under Armour Camp

Tyler James

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Dec 31, 2021
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Notre Dame running back commit Justin Thurman competed in Under Armour's camp in Orlando on Sunday. Radi Nabulsi, the publisher of UGASports.com, was one of the folks on site for Rivals. He caught up with Thurman with the interview below.


How is your recruitment going? Who’s still coming after you? Who are you trying to bring with you?

“My recruitment has definitely been a blessing. Last spring, about a year ago, after doing a couple of camps, I was able to receive many blessing and opportunities to play at the next level at the Power 5, Division I level. Then over the summer I went to camps, on visits to learn more about each program, to see how I fit into the program, but also the school as well and the academics. When I visited Notre Dame, it really felt like it was home for me in terms of the academics, the athletics and the coaching staff. Coach Freeman and the rest of the coaching staff are doing a very good job of recruiting and just building a culture at Notre Dame. Throughout this fall, there have been a couple of schools, like FSU, USC, Mizzou that have been still recruiting me, still showing interest. I thank them for the interest, because not a lot of people get that opportunity to have any interest like that. I remind them that I’m committed to Notre Dame, but if anything changes, I’ll let them know. In terms of recruiting others to the Notre Dame 2025 class, I’m trying to get Jerome Bettis, Jack Lange, a couple other top recruits to join this class. I feel like we’re building the best 2025 class in the country. We can put ourselves and Notre Dame in the best position for success and a national championship.”

Who’s your top priority in this class?

“For linemen, we have Owen Strebig, who just committed a couple days ago. Then we have Will Black. We’re trying to get Jack Lange from Eureko, Mo. I actually played with him in little league. Our dads were coaches and they coached us on our team. With the connection with him and the St. Louis connection, because I used to live there, I feel like he would be a great asset to the ’25 class. Jerome Bettis, the minivan as we like to call him, would be great for the receivers. We just had Elijah Buress commit. Adding more receivers will definitely boost our class even more from where it’s already at. We have a running back like Daniel Anderson, we have Deuce Knight. We got a lot of other people so we can do great things when we come into Notre Dame in 2025.”

You said you’d let the other schools know if something changed. What could change?

“The most obvious thing that could change is the coaching staff. I’ve learned that basically if any coaching staff changes, there will probably be conversations about that. How the new coaching staff is going to be introduced in, how their schemes, their mindset and their mentality is going to fit into the Notre Dame embodiment. Also, the way the running backs are being used. We got a new OC, Coach Denbrock from LSU. I believe that he’s going to do great things. He has done great things in the past jobs that he’s had. I’m looking forward to how he uses the running backs into the scheme with Coach McCullough.”

What is the style of offense that he’s selling you?

“We haven’t spoken in-depth much yet, but we are going to in the future.”

When are you going to get back up there?

“I’m planning to get back up there definitely for the spring game, if not earlier for a practice or some type of other visit.”

How did you junior season go?

“It went great. With the opportunities I was able to get, I capitalized them to help put my team in the best position for success. I had 17 touchdowns, 812 rushing yards, 145 receiving yards. I was on kickoff, kick return, punt return.”

Wait, you’re a running back playing special teams? That’s pretty selfless.

“Special teams is the third aspect and probably the most important aspect of the game. It can really change how a game goes. So I believe contributing my skill set and my abilities to the special teams can help the team. There’s no “I” in team. I’m not going to be a selfish player. It’s about the team. It’s about winning together as a team. If special teams is a major focus just like offense and defense, teams can be put into great success.”

What’s your favorite part of playing on kick coverage?

“Being able to run all the way down there. I’m basically the contain guy that runs all the way down and tries to tackle the guy first.”

You’re between the numbers and the sideline?

“Yes sir. Utilize my speed, stay in my lane and make sure I can make that tackle or allow my teammates to have the best position to tackle. Then for return, I’m the kick returner. So a lot of times they don’t kick to me, because they know I’m fast. So they either try to kick it out of bounds or they kick it over us. Whenever I do get the ball, I follow my blockers, utilize my speed but also my patience, because you can’t just run up in there, to make the most out of that each return.”

Which do you like better: blowing up a returner or returning the ball to midfield?

“Returning the ball. They’re both important, but returning the ball is showcasing my skills.”

Some people like to hit, though?

“I can hit on the return, too. Kind of setting the tone as I’d like to. If you’re all the way to the center of the field, that can really scare the other team.”

What other sports do you play?

“I run track. Currently we’re in a season right. We started official practice a week ago. We’re just ramping up. We’ve been conditioning since basically mid-December, but we’ve been out there practicing now. I’m going to be running the 100, 200, the 4x100 and the 400, possibly. To be honest with you, I’m fine with it, because if you can run the 400, you can probably run anything.”

But the 400 is a torture race. You know it’s awful.

“When people don’t want to do things, you have to step up and do it.”

Even 400 runners don’t like the 400.

“Yeah. My 100 time was 10.84 last year at the FSU Relays. I’m planning to set a goal of raising that time down to 10.6-10.5. I believe in doing the same thing as football: being a team player, help any way I can and contribute to the team so that we can get ourselves a state championship as a whole team, not just individually.”

What is your No. 1 sales pitch to the other recruits you’re trying to convince?

“One is Notre Dame’s academics. Its academics are known throughout the country and even throughout the world. The prestigious education and diploma that you get out of it. No. 2, the connections. The alumni network that’s an opportunity to use. Let’s just say that football and the NFL may not be your career path, you have other career paths and opportunities to connect with alumni that can help you put yourself in the best position for success. And then the coaching staff. I believe Coach Freeman, Coach McCullough, all the other coaches are doing a great job of pitching why Notre Dame is such a great place. It’s the history and the prestige after its name is true and valid. The way that they coach and take care of their players and treat them like family. Coach Freeman is definitely a family guy. He has six kids and a great wife. I believe that he likes to be around the guys and likes to connect with them. They’re not just players. They’re also people too. So you have to be able to connect well with them. But also, he’s a great coach with his schemes and everything. He’s putting Notre Dame in a great place.”

What’s your favorite football moment from last year?

“Against Tampa Catholic, I ran a 60, almost 65-70-yard touchdown against them on the first play of the drive. We blew them out that game.”

What was the play?

“It was basically inside zone. I gave them a little bit of a [hesitation], and then I was just gone out of the gate.”

A dead leg maybe?

“Yeah, a little dead leg. I was able to utilize my speed to the fullest and basically just run.”

What’s your worst moment from last year?

“Probably when I may have fumbled the ball once, but I recovered it. I pride myself on ball security and making sure that the ball is high and tight. I know I’m not going to be perfect, but all the times I have the ball in my hands, I make sure that it’s high and tight, have two hands on the ball in traffic and making sure that if it happens, it doesn’t happen again.”

How many points of contact?

“Three points of contact. You got the chest, you got the arm and then you have the hand over the arm. Making sure that you have it locked tight.”

What did you measure in at today?

“6-foot, 180 pounds.”
 
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