Notre Dame Football: 4 Star DT/DE Aeneas Hawkins Talks Recruiting And Notre Dame

The Notre Dame recruiting department has been re-evaluating their targets.

With news of Notre Dame no longer recruiting Ohio 4 star defensive end Malik Vann, I thought I would catch up with Aeneas Hawkins to see how his recruitment is shaping up.

I had spoken to his a few weeks ago about junior day at Notre Dame which he unfortunately couldn’t attend.

To get you caught up on Hawkins, he’s a 4 star defensive lineman with the versatility to play both tackle and end. He plays his ball at Archbishop Moeller, one of the premier programs in Ohio, and holds 32 offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida State etc.

First, I asked Hawkins how his off season training was going. Here’s what he had to say.

“My off season is going well. I played with a shoulder injury all year and got that fixed. I’ve been lifting hard and feel stronger than ever. I’m up 20 pounds from the end of last season, but I’ve maintained my speed. I’ll run track this year to keep my explosiveness going.”

Hawkins then explained why he wasn’t able to make it to Junior Day at Notre Dame. He was disappointed that he couldn’t make it.

“I couldn’t go because my sister’s flight was delayed from Mexico and we needed to be able to be here whenever she could get back.”

With all of the offers he has and recruiting season ramping up, I asked him which schools have been recruiting him the hardest.

“Penn State and Cincinnati have been recruiting me the hardest.”

Hawkins has visited both schools. He has also visited Notre Dame and spoke to me about the Irish and contact from them.

“ND still recruits me. Coach Elston and Elko are the main ones. That relationship is still developing. I’m excited to take another visit.”

I asked Aeneas if he was planning on cutting down his list candidates in the future. Here’s what he told me.

“I’m not sure if i’ll cut down my list or not. I may just leave people in suspense on the day I choose.”

In closing, Aeneas Hawkins had this to say about Notre Dame.

"“Notre Dame is still 100% still in the race. They’ve been with me since day 1 and I’m a huge supporter of what they do. They are very similar to my own high school.”"

There’s still a ways to go on this one. Expect the Notre Dame staff to really step on the gas in this recruitment towards his decision date on May 10th.

Must Read: Top 10 Recruit Wish List For The '18 Class

Notre Dame only have a few spots left on their defensive line for the ’18 recruiting class.