We obviously won’t know for sure for a little while, but this could be the week that changed the direction of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball program under Micah Shrewsberry.
After landing a commitment from 4-star forward Brady Koehler on Monday, the Irish picked up an even bigger and more momentous pledge this evening from one of Koehler’s AAU teammates and another Indianapolis-area native:
NEWS: 5⭐️ Jalen Haralson has announced his commitment to Notre Dame, becoming the program’s highest ranked-recruit ever.
The 6-6 Small Forward chose the Irish over Indiana and Michigan State. Massive pickup for Micah Shrewsberry.
Story: https://t.co/mtfw1ac8GT pic.twitter.com/BpUDFfVjG9
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 25, 2024
Jalen Haralson, a 5-star wing from La Lumiere School (which you may remember as the same prep school JJ Starling attended), has officially committed to playing for Shrewsberry and his Notre Dame program. The 6’7”, 210-lb Haralson is ranked 13th in the class of 2025 composite rankings on 247sports (#2 small forward, #1 player in Indiana), as he’s ranked #14 in the country by 247sports themselves, #17 by Rivals, #13 by On3, and #10 by ESPN.
His 0.9953 composite rating on 247sports makes him the highest-rated commitment of the 247sports recruiting era for Notre Dame, topping JJ Starling (2nd-highest), Demetrius Jackson (3rd), and Cam Biedscheid (4th). He chose the Irish over other finalists Michigan State and Indiana, and also held offers from the majority of the best programs in the nation, including Duke, Kansas, Auburn, Purdue, Gonzaga, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa, and many more.
Originally from Fishers, Indiana, Haralson played his first two high school seasons for Fishers High School before transferring to La Lumiere, joining countless top prospects who flock to the prep school to play at the highest high school level. He also played for the USA Basketball U17 National Team in Istanbul this past summer, helping the team win gold while averaging 11.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists according to the Indy Star.
With two top Indianapolis-area prospects now committed to his program in a 3-day span, it’s clear the connections of the Indy-native Shrewsberry, along with assistant coach Ryan Owens (very connected in the AAU scene, especially in Indiana), are paying off handsomely.
Haralson is simply the kind of athlete Notre Dame struggles to attract — he’s long, a great athlete, and excellent at attacking the hoop and using his strength and body control to finish at the rim.
He plays incredibly calm and under-control, making lots of tough plays look easy. And with his physical tools and the defensive system Shrewsberry and his staff have established, he can become an elite defender on the perimeter at the college level.
He’s a good shooter, but can still stand to improve this area of his game at the next level. With that said, if he can do so, then he will have all the tools to be a first round NBA prospect, especially considering his finishing ability at the rim, his ball handling, and his size.
Haralson officially visited Notre Dame on September 7th for the Northern Illinois game, joining his current AAU teammate (and now future collegiate teammate) Koehler on campus. It’s clear the depressing football result didn’t matter to these two top hoops targets, as they both committed just a few weeks later.
It’s difficult to put into words what this week of recruiting news could mean for the program going forward — especially reeling in such an elite recruit like Haralson — considering the complete rebuild that Shrewsberry took on last year. With a very solid 2024 recruiting class (Sir Mohammed, Cole Certa, Garrett Sundra) and now with Haralson and Koehler in 2025, the young players on the team are about to really elevate the talent level of the program.
And the Irish aren’t done in 2025, either — 4-star forward Ryder Frost from New Hampshire is announcing his commitment on Friday, and just yesterday Badger247 Wisconsin Insider Evan Flood put in a prediction for Notre Dame with a confidence of “8/High.” By the end of the week, ND may have locked up commitments from three ~top-100 forwards, including one elite 5-star.
Plus, they’re still in it for top-50 point guard Kayden Mingo and a couple other prospects, and it’s very possible the sudden commitments of Koehler, Haralson, and perhaps Frost on Friday could convince another top target to hop on board soon. The importance of Haralson’s pledge especially cannot be overstated.
Simply put, the Irish suddenly have a ton of men’s hoops recruiting momentum, which is really exciting to see and bodes well for Micah Shrewsberry turning this program into a tourney contender again over the next couple years. This is a good week, Irish fans — welcome Jalen to the Irish family, and let’s keep the good vibes rolling!
