Notre Dame freshman Jalen Haralson named All-ACC honorable mention

Notre Dame freshman guard Jalen Haralson has been named an All-ACC honorable mention, the conference announced Monday evening.

Haralson fell just short of the ACC All-Rookie team. He would have been a lock for that honor in most years, but this was a particularly strong year for freshman in the league. Duke’s Cameron Boozer, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder (a 23-year-old freshman from Belgium) beat him out.

Still, Haralson met Notre Dame’s expectations after signing with the Irish as the No. 20 player in the 2025 Rivals Industry Ranking. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 points per game as a freshman, shooting 51.5 percent from the field.

The 6-foot-7 swingman finished eighth in the ACC and first among guards in field-goal percentage, 12th in points per game and sixth in free-throws made per game at 4.5. Haralson was by far Notre Dame’s most effective interior scorer this season, threatening defenses on dribble-drives and post-ups alike.

Highlights from Haralson’s season include a buzzer-beater to send Notre Dame to overtime in an 87-85 win over TCU on Dec. 7. He also scored 25 points in a 96-90 overtime win over NC State in his return from a three-game absence due to ankle injury.

The Irish missed the ACC Tournament in an extremely disappointing season, finishing 13-18 (4-14 ACC) in head coach Micah Shrewsberry‘s third year. But Haralson, Shrewsberry’s signature recruiting win, was a bright spot for Notre Dame.

“Obviously, Jalen’s got the ball in his hands a lot,” Shrewsberry said in February. “He’s asked to do a lot, but his two-point field-goal percentage has really gone up in the last five games. His free-throw percentage, his assists. 

“His turnovers have stayed consistent. That’s an area where he’s gotta keep growing. But as everything else keeps going right now, if he gets that under control, then he’s having a really good season.”

Retaining Haralson is priority No. 1 for Notre Dame this offseason. Some believed he would have a chance to go one-and-done out of La Porte (Ind.) La Lumiere after choosing the Irish over Indiana and Michigan State, but that is unlikely to happen. Another season to develop his three-point shot will help his draft stock after he went 5-of-25 on threes in Year 1.

Haralson will also look to improve his free-throw percentage of 67.4 percent, though he was much better in February and March. He went 77.4 percent on free throws over his final six games, including an 80.5 percent mark over his last three.