‘Jacked’ NFL icon’s son shows off physique as $215million Hall of Famers’ kids join college powerhouse

Apr 9, 2026 - 11:15
‘Jacked’ NFL icon’s son shows off physique as $215million Hall of Famers’ kids join college powerhouse

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr will be throwing to two wideouts of Hall of Fame lineage in 2026.

Devin Fitzgerald is looking to follow in dad Larry’s footsteps in his freshman season with the Fighting Irish.

Jerome Bettis Jr. arrived at Notre Dame with a lean build
Getty
His dad was built like a wrecking ball
Getty

He will be hoping to line up alongside sophomore Jerome Bettis Jr., who has transformed his body over the offseason.

Bettis Sr. was a brutal running back known as ‘The Bus’ and fans are branding his kid ‘Minibus’ on social media after catching a glimpse of his ‘jacked’ new look.

He looked every bit the wide receiver as a redshirt freshman but has piled on the pounds and now looks like he’s ready run over defenders like his old man.

Listed at 6’2″, 207 lbs, he could easily grow into a Deebo Samuel-esque role and his new No. 8 jersey suggests a positional switch may be on the cards.

He is not quite in the same league as his 5ft 11in dad, who played at 260lbs at one stage, and won the Super Bowl with Bill Cowher’s Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005.

Ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, Bettis asked his teammates to “just get me to Detroit” — his hometown, where Super Bowl XL was being played.

The rousing speech worked and Bettis — drafted 10th overall out of Notre Dame by the St Louis Rams — ran for 39 yards on 15 carries, including a touchdown, before finding his parents and mouthing, ‘We’re going home.’

It has been called the greatest playoff run of all time as the Steelers entered the wild-card round as the No. 6 seed and beat the first-seed Seattle Seahawks at Super Bowl XL.

Bettis — branded The Closer by Cowher — ended his career on a high and retired as a six-time Pro Bowler, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1993), NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1996) and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2001).

His 13,662 yards and 91 touchdowns on the ground were enough to see him inducted into Canton in 2015 and Bettis had one brief message for his son in an emotional acceptance speech.

Bettis retired after winning the Lombardi Trophy in his hometown
Getty
Fitzgerald is second all-time in receptions and receiving yards
Getty

“Son, there’s not much that I can give you that’s more important than our good name. So don’t screw it up,” he said.

No pressure there.

The words of wisdom are clearly working as Bettis Jr. looks ready to take on a bigger role with Notre Dame as he looks to follow in his dad’s heavy footsteps.

The three-star recruit will have Fitzgerald for company.

Devin is the spitting image of 11-time Pro Bowl selection Larry and will hope to have half of his career production.

He was deemed a four-star recruit by 247Sports Composite, ranking second in Arizona and 28th at wide receiver overall.

NFL's Greatest......

Ranking the top 10......

Quarterbacks of all-time – Can anyone better Tom Brady?

Wide receivers of all-time – Does Randy Moss or Jerry Rice come out on top?

Running backs of all-time – Stacking Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and more

Tight ends of all-time – How does Travis Kelce compare?

“I’m just trying to create my own legacy. I love being a Fitzgerald, but I also just want to be known as Devin,” he told TMZ Sports.

“It’s cool and all that people are giving me stuff because of my dad, but on the football side, I feel like they’re not getting anything out of my dad for me being able to go to their school.”

Bettis and Fitzgerald Sr. will have plenty to talk about in the bleachers after earning $215 million between them in Hall of Fame careers — and they will have esteemed company.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman clearly has a type, not only are

Retired tight end Jermichael Finley’s son, Kaydon, and Super Bowl champion receiver Plaxico Burress’ son, Elijah, are also on the team.

Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for news, exclusive interviews and more.

What's Your Reaction?

Like Like 0
Dislike Dislike 0
Love Love 0
Funny Funny 0
Angry Angry 0
Sad Sad 0
Wow Wow 0