Jon Bon Jovi's Son Wins Spot On Notre Dame Football Team, Looks To Lay His Hands On Opposing Offenses

It's been a tough 12 months for Jon Bon Jovi. Inclusion in our Music's 40 Hottest Men Over 40 list aside, he's had to deal with the heroin overdose of his 19-year-old daughter Stephanie and a massive feud with his longtime band member Richie Sambora that has threatened the stability of his band, Bon Jovi. And although fall is not generally known as a time of rebirth and renewal, the return of football has finally brought some good fortune back into the Bongiovi home.

Jon's son, Jesse, matriculated as a freshman at the prestigious University of Notre Dame this fall. His status as an eventual BMOC was secured recently when he was awarded a walk-on spot on the Notre Dame football team. The University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site lists Jesse Bongiovi as a 5' 9.5" inch, 183 lb. cornerback wearing the number 34, and Head Coach Brian Kelly insists that nepotism had nothing to do with his selection to the team.

"Jesse has earned his spot on the [roster]," Kelly recently told the website csnchicago.com. "He's a tough kid. The kids really like him. They respect him. They don't look at him as a rock star's son. They look at him as a kid that loves Notre Dame and wants to play football and help this team."

Our hearty congrats go out to both Jesse and proud papa Jon, who we all know is quite the football fan himself. A nation of Bon Jovi fans, along with Jon and the painted co-eds below, will no doubt be looking forward to the first time that his son gets to lays his hands on opposing offenses. (Sorry, we had to work a pun into this piece somewhere! If you have any better suggestions, leave them in the comments and we'll print our faves.)

[Photo: University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site, Getty Images]