Peter Jones commitment an 'Emotional Decision;' training camp begins
August 19th, 2022
Class of 2024 offensive lineman Peter Jones, a four-star recruit via 247Sports.com, recently committed to Notre Dame just over a week ago.
Jones went to both Notre Dame and Penn State at the end of July. He had been to Penn State a number of times, though it was just his second time visiting the campus of Notre Dame. He went with head coach Dave Gueriera and offensive linemen coach Jeff Carroll on the first visit, while the recent trip was with just his family.
Despite growing up as a fan of Penn State and visiting the program a number of times due to it being just a three-hour drive away, the rising junior then committed to the Irish on August 7. So, why the Fighting Irish over the Nittany Lions despite his parents and sister both at PSU?
"I thought they did a great job of not only promoting the school but making him feel welcome and like a good fit for him there," Gueriera said Tuesday morning ahead of the second day of training camp. "He pretty much fell in love with the campus and the coaches as soon as they got there.
"He had a good experience (at Penn State) too, but I think what it comes down to is he just felt more comfortable at Notre Dame and with their coaches," added Gueriera. "I don't think it was an easy decision for him."
Gueriera says Penn State was the first school that he pinpointed, though his list broadened once he started getting more interest from other schools -- including Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and countless others.
"He always loved Penn State, but I think when he started to do some visits to colleges I think it opened his eyes up a little bit to see there was more out there besides Penn State. But I think it was a tough decision for him -- it was an emotional decision for him because he does love Penn State."
Jones will join Notre Dame for the 2024 season, though two more seasons of Malvern are left for the rising junior.
Interest elsewhere
The less-popular Friars have also generated some interest from colleges.
"We've got some pretty good interest for our guys," Gueriera said.
Gueriera mentioned seniors Bobby Mears, Yaahdir Nash, Hayden Pegg, Kevin Miller, and Colin McHugh as names who could see themselves at the NCAA level in 2023. Four out of five of those names have received an offer, while all have generated some degree of interest.
"I think there are a lot of schools that are watching our guys right now and they're looking forward to seeing what they do in their first couple games of the senior year," Gueriera said.
Rising junior Logan Demchyk also received an offer from Maryland over the summer after a number of linemen attended the lineman camp in Maryland.
Notes: Training camp begins
• Malvern began training camp Monday, as the Friars went the first two days with just helmets while on Wednesday they amped it up to shoulder pads -- still no pants though.
• Saturday morning the team has an intrasquad scrimmage before facing DePaul in a scrimmage next Friday at home. Friday, September 2 is the season opener in Ocean City, NJ against La Salle -- which is amidst the first week of school. The home opener isn't until Week 3, which is September 16 against Imhotep.
• The brand new turf is finished -- and has been for quite some time, though due to the track not being finished yet they won't get on it until at best next week. The team is still on the field by the senior lot and on the rugby field currently.
Quinn Riley '25
