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Notre Dame Recruiting: Offer Breakdown – OLB/DE Eli’jah Winston

By Kevin Sinclair

Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jarron Jones (94) tackles USC Trojans running back Ronald Jones II (25) in the second quarter at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC won 45-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jarron Jones (94) tackles USC Trojans running back Ronald Jones II (25) in the second quarter at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC won 45-27. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Portland, Oregon OLB/DE Eli’jah Winston received an offer from Notre Dame.

Must Read: Sinclair's Hot 5 Big Board - Part 4 - Notre Dame Recruiting

The Irish coaching staff continues their pursuit of the right personnel for Mike Elko’s defense. 6’4, 230-pound Eli’jah Winston is exactly what they are seeking for their drop end position.

Winston has 7 offers so far. In-state schools Oregon and Oregon State are a part of his list as well as Hawaii, Colorado, UCLA, Utah and Hawaii.

In the past, Notre Dame have had almost no luck in landing recruits from the state of Oregon until they recently landed 4 star speedster Braden Lenzy, which was a collaborative effort between Brian Polian, Todd Lyght, DelVaughn Alexander and Brian Kelly.

Winston is a very physically imposing pass rusher who proves to be a true thumper. He comes off the edge with a great burst and lights up the ball carrier for losses, often.

His pass coverage skills are also impressive.  He has the awareness, athletic ability and ball skills to make plays on the ball as well as the sense to time hits in an effective fashion when the ball arrives.

Winston has a wide wingspan which makes him hard to escape when he closes in on the ball. His tackling skills are very solid.

There are many signs that he has above average awareness and ability to diagnose plays. He is able to diagnose the play early then get himself in position to make plays using his great speed.

Winston is also efficient at batting down balls. If he doesn’t make it to the passer before he releases the ball, he’s good at getting his arms up to make things difficult on the quarterback.

In conclusion, I think Winston shows enough speed, size, understanding of football concepts and natural ability to play early in his college career. I’d be surprised if he didn’t start to receive a considerable amount of offers before his senior season began.

Eli’jah Winston’s older brother plays football on scholarship at Oregon.  It’s hard not to think that there is a strong possibility of him committing to Oregon as well.

With successful western recruiter Brian Polian in the fold as well as Mike Elko showing he can land top talent, they should have a good chance to at least get him on campus.

I really like Winston’s film. He reminds me of a larger, drop end version of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Winston would be a great addition to the class.

Stay tuned for updates on his recruitment.

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