Jalen Haralson, No. 10 basketball recruit in ’25 class, Notre Dame pick

Senior Jalen Haralson, the No. 10 recruit in the 2025 ESPN 100, announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Wednesday, becoming the Fighting Irish’s highest-ranked recruit in the modern era.

Haralson chose Notre Dame over Indiana and Michigan State, though the recruitment expanded into a two-team competition between the Fighting Irish and the Hoosiers. Notre Dame extended a scholarship offer just weeks after Micah Shrewsbury became the head coach in South Bend, while Indiana was one of the first schools to offer the talented wing.

“Notre Dame is the best option for me,” Haralson told ESPN on Wednesday. “It wasn’t an easy choice. Notre Dame (Shrewsberry) recruited me from the day I got the job. They stuck with me through my injuries, kept their eyes on me, and that helped a lot.”

Shrewsbury’s recent success with perimeter players was a big plus in Haralson’s mind.

“My ultimate goal is to go to the NBA,” Haralson said. “I trust coach Shrewsbury and his staff with my game. They’ve had success with players like me. They did a great job with Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy at Penn State. He was with the Celtics and helped Jayson Tatum.”

A 6-foot-7 small forward from Indiana who attended La Lumiere School (Indiana), Haralson is considered the best high school senior in the state.

He represented USA Basketball at the FIBA ​​U17 World Cup this summer, averaging 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in seven games as the team won the gold medal. He averaged 21.2 points and 7.3 rebounds with the Indy Heat on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring, then followed that up with 16.6 points at the Nike Pitch Jam in July, including a 29-point performance against No. 1 overall prospect AJ DiBantsa.

“Jalen is a versatile playmaker who impacts wins all over the floor,” La Lumiere coach Pat Holmes said. “Whether it’s with his scoring, passing or defensive versatility, Jalen is going to do whatever it takes to help a team succeed. He has a great work ethic and radiates a positive energy that gravitates toward teammates.”

Harrelson became the first top-10 prospect to commit to Notre Dame since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007, surpassing JJ Sterling (No. 19 in 2022) and Demetrius Jackson (No. 24 in 2013).

He is the second ESPN 100 prospect to commit to Notre Dame this week, following a commitment from four-star forward Brady Koehler (No. 98) on Monday.