CJ May Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Auburn and Miami making strong push for recent Notre Dame 4-star decommitment CJ May

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 2/5/24

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is known as a pretty good recruiter, but even he can't win them all.

Frankly, that's not even the case with 4-star EDGE CJ May from Highland Home, Alabama, because at one point, Freeman did win May's commitment. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound recruit had committed to the Fighting Irish in September of 2023.

Unfortunately for Freeman and his staff, though, that commitment no longer stands. May decommitted on Monday.

Where is my future home??? https://t.co/JMfdOCFZG7
— CJ “Slim Reaper” MAY (@CJMAY0) February 5, 2024

That's a tough loss for Notre Dame, but at least at the outset, it appears to be more of a proximity thing than anything.

“This has been on my mind for a few weeks,” May told On3 regarding his decision. “I started having second thoughts because of how far from home it is. I have the most respect for Coach Marcus Freeman and the staff at Notre Dame, but the more I thought about the fit, I just didn’t think Notre Dame was the best for me.

“I am from Alabama. I am in the country and I have to find the best place for me. When I make my decision, it has to be a place I can be happy at and live at for the next 3-4 years, so that is what I am looking for now.”

Keep an eye out for the Auburn Tigers in this recruitment moving forward. Auburn was one of the finalists along with Clemson and Tennesee when May originally committed, and the 4-star did just recently take an unofficial visit to Auburn.

According to May's social media, Miami could also be making a strong push. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal recently visited him and there does appear to be mutual interest.

Where my Miami fans at??? @CanesFootball @coach_cristobal @dtrain2901 @CoachField @mackrizz23 @tjoseph__ pic.twitter.com/PIwD4eBKZz
— CJ “Slim Reaper” MAY (@CJMAY0) February 6, 2024