Notre Dame Football: 2017 Freshman Breakdown – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a perfect fit for the rover position in Elko’s defense.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – OLB/S – 6’2, 200 lbs. – Hampton, VA – Bethel HS
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, or JOK as fans have taken to calling him, was a late, but very important, addition to Notre Dame’s ’17 class.
JOK was a Virginia commit but in January, he began receiving a lot of attention from Notre Dame and Michigan State. Both coaching staffs pushed very hard by visiting him at Bethel High School as well as hosting him for official visits during the final weekends before Signing Day.
Notre Dame had a few things going for them in the battle. Clark Lea and Mike Elko had been in contact with JOK since they were on staff at Wake Forest. He’s also a high-academic kid, boasting a 1310 SAT score which he displayed at the beginning of his Hudl highlight film.
On National Signing Day, while Brian Kelly was addressing the media in a press conference, he was interrupted by a phone call. It was Owusu-Koramoah on the line, calling to give the Irish his commitment.
Schematically, he couldn’t make more sense for the Irish. With elite talent as it relates to pass coverage, rushing the passer as well as run support in the box, he will be a perfect fit for the rover position.
Check out JOK’s Hudl highlight film here
JOK was truly dominant on the field in high school. He was always clearly the best player on the field whether he was playing receiver, running back, linebacker aor safety.
JOK shows tons of athleticism. What stands out to me the most is how explosive he is and how quickly he reaches top speed.
He shows natural football instincts. He excels in pursuit, takes good angles and delivers a powerful punch when he gets to the ball carrier.
He has long arms that allow him to stretch out and make efficient tackles. His ball skills are quite impressive as well. He possesses a solid vertical jump as well which allows him to make a lot of plays on the ball.
He shows effective pass rushing ability on timed and disguised blitzes which is really exciting for Elko as his defense relies on those types of attacks.
If there’s anyone in this class that I believe is underrated and will excel in the scheme at Notre Dame, it’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. If you watch film on Wake Forest’s ’16 defense, you’ll see how well JOK fits.
Projection
The rover position is a new installment for Notre Dame. That being said, depth at that position already looks decent. Tranquill, Perry, D.J. Morgan and Bilal all look like good candidates. I truly feel that JOK is probably good enough to see the field as a freshman.
Whether or not he will actually play there in ’17 is a whole other question.
I expect him to be in the equation at rover in summer camp, but will likely end up on the scout team while he hits the Balis workout program hard.
I do think he will be a very intriguing prospect on Special Teams. I’m certain Polian has him in his plans for kick off/punt coverage.
I can see him to getting strong consideration for the starting rover position in his true sophomore year as Drue Tranquill will likely have moved on.
Again, Mike Elko couldn’t have asked for a better fit for his defense. JOK is a versatile, explosive play-maker, and that’s what the Irish want for their new scheme and defensive philosophy.
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Stay tuned to SlapTheSign.com for all of our 2017 Freshman Breakdown’s.