Notre Dame Football: Big Time Defensive Lineman Aeneas Hawkins Confirmed For Junior Day.

Notre Dame will be hosting many top recruits from the 2018 class this weekend.

Expect as many as 20 recruits to make the trip for Junior Day. So far, four elite recruits, who all hold offers from Brian Kelly, have confirmed they will be on campus.

Let’s have a look at a big time defensive tackle who will be in attendance.

Aeneas Hawkins – DT – 6’3, 265 lbs. – Cincinatti, OH – Archbishop Moeller

26 football players from Archbishop Moeller, one of the most talked about high school football programs in the country, have gone on to play at the University of Notre Dame.

That being said, Hawkins, who has been recruited heavily by Notre Dame for quite some time, has many ties to Ohio State University as well. Current Buckeye safety Sam Hubbard was a teammate of Hawkins for the Tigers.

There’s NFL talent in his bloodline as well with his father having played cornerback and his uncle currently being one of the most exciting wide receivers in the NFL – Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland Browns.

Last spring, Aeneas spent time in Tampa Bay, Florida to train with his NFL star uncle. This is a testament to how hard the young defensive lineman gets after it in the off season.

As well as Ohio State, Hawkins has offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Tenessee and many more. With his current 247 ranking being #222 overall, I expect him to climb up boards significantly after the strong senior season I’m certain he will have.

Year in and year out, the biggest concern regarding Notre Dame’s chances of being an elite team is whether or not their defensive line will be able to perform at a high level.

Staff has put in a tremendous amount of work in recruiting the defensive line. Outside of a few players, Daelin Hayes, Darnell Ewell and Julian Okwara, the Irish have fallen short of landing elite talent.

Aeneas Hawkins is the type of elite player Notre Dame needs to land. He’ll be a tough pull out of Ohio, given his ties to the program, but the coaching staff has been working hard on him since early in the recruiting process.

Click here to watch Hawkins Hudl highlight film

On tape, there is so much to like about Hawkins. He brings enough speed and athleticism to the defensive tackle position to be consistently effective as a pass rusher. He also lines up at defensive end and shows he can play there at an effective level.

Hawkins shows elite burst off the line. He shoots gaps well, uses his hands effectively to get off blocks and closes on the ball carrier in short order. The high-end coaching he’s received is evident on film

Must Read: Slap the Sign Breaks Down The 2018 Class

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Hawkins is one of four elite recruits that have confirmed that they will be attending Junior Day on February 11th – this weekend. I expect staff to put the full-court press on him to show what Notre Dame can do for him in terms of football as well as academically.