The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have landed their 14th commitment in the Class of 2017 today, as running back CJ Holmes made his decision known via a commitment video with Bleacher Report. The 247 Sports Composite ranks the 6’0″/200-pounder from Cheshire, Connecticut as the #292 player overall and the #20 athlete in the country.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247 — 3 star (87 rating), #547 overall, #42 ATH, #2 in CT

Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), #230 overall, #5 APB, NR in CT

Scout — 4 star, #203 overall, #15 ATH, #2 in CT

ESPN — 4 star (80 rating), #283 overall, #22 ATH, #2 in CT

247 Composite — 4 star (.8961), #292 overall, #20 ATH, #2 in CT

Cohort

CJ chose the Irish over other offers from Alabama, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA, and many others.

Highlights

I was less than a minute into CJ’s highlights before I realized two things:

1) He’s a perfect fit at running back in the Notre Dame offense.

2) This is a really talented athlete.

He’s fast, he’s shifty, he’s explosive, and he’s a good receiver. He has a lot of versatility. Numerous scouts with ND ties have drawn comparisons to both CJ Prosise and Theo Riddick. While those are fair comparisons, they aren’t exactly spot-on. To me, he looks somewhere in between the two. Holmes is not quite as fast as Prosise, but he’s faster than Theo. He’s not quite as good of a receiver as Theo, but he’s a better receiver than Prosise. Another comparison of note is from ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, who thinks Holmes’ game “has an Ezekiel Elliot feel to it.”

I’ll take a guy who can play like that any day of the week, especially on a Fall Saturday.

Impact

CJ’s commitment further adds to the talented depth of the Irish backfield. And it would not be too presumptuous to say that CJ is the best pickup at the position over the past couple of classes. Last year, the Irish added Tony Jones and Deon McIntosh — two guys that will both end up filling specific roles for the Irish. CJ, however, is that every-down back with big-play capability that every team is looking for.

The Irish could very well be done at running back for this cycle, since this is the fifth commitment at the position over the past three years. But BK and Co. really hit a home-run landing Holmes’ verbal.

Another thing to keep an eye on: CJ’s close friend and high school teammate, 4-star wide receiver Tarik Black, should be making a silent verbal within the next few weeks. Landing CJ could put the Irish in even better position to land that elite prospect.

Welcome to the Irish family, CJ!