Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Irish Land NaNa Osafo-Mensah!

Notre Dame football just landed a game changer.

On Saturday, 2019 defensive end recruit NaNa Osafo-Mensah picked Notre Dame football over the hometown school Texas. NaNa has probably been the biggest priority for the staff and they’ve been on him since the very beginning when they offered him back in May of 2017.

It sure paid off in the end.

Clearly, like most of the recruits that decide Notre Dame is the place, the combination of athletes and academics was huge for him and his family. His high school, Nolan Catholic, has a lot of similarities with what Notre Dame represents. The religious side of this made a big impact on his family as well.

NaNa holds 27 offers, including those from Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma.

Leading up to the decision:

Over the past few months, this battle was going back and forth between the Longhorns and the Irish.

At one point it seemed like a “here we go again” moment, as it appeared as though Texas had gained a ton of momentum and taken the lead to land him over the long time favorite Irish. I think it all changed when NaNa took his official visit to campus on the weekend of April 13th.

From the buzz floating around on social media, it seemed like the visit was one of the best he’s ever experienced and been on. He was on campus with a few Notre Dame commits like Hunter Spears and Jacob Lacey, who he already had built great relationships with. A few of the current players on the roster also took him under their wings and wanted to show him what life would be as a student-athlete.

Clearly they did an tremendous job doing that.

There was a ton of confidence after this visit, but he also saved his official to Texas for last –just a few weeks later. I mention this is because, in all honesty, the majority of the time when Notre Dame doesn’t get the last visit for elite recruits — especially when it’s up against the home state school — it rarely works in favor of the Irish. This time, however, for one of the biggest position of needs, the Irish got the job done and landed their guy.

What will NaNa bring to South Bend?

Like I mentioned previously, this kid is an absolute game-changer for Notre Dame. He’s exactly the type of player that could elevate the Irish to where they want to be. Now they just need to continue being consistent with recruiting these type of athletes at such a pivotal positions. But for now, there isn’t much more you could ask for on the defensive line. 

The 6’4, 230-pounder fits the mold of a defensive end. He’s extremely athletic and his explosiveness is what makes him such a coveted player. He gets off the ball at a high level and uses his speed to his advantage. He comes off of the edge with great speed and knows how to close on the opponent. He’s pretty darn good when he drops back into coverage too, with good hip movement and change of direction. Once stength coach Matt Balis gets him in the weight room, it’ll only get better for NaNa.

Something that I want to see in a football player is their passion and someone who plays angry like they have something to prove. That’s what I see when I watch NaNa on film. When the whistle blows, he looks like he absolutely loves the game and that’s a gift that a lot of athletes just don’t mentally have.

I’ll say it again, but this kid could change the game for the Notre Dame defense.

With NaNa now verbally committed, he joins defensive lineman Jacob Lacey, Hunter Spears and Howard Cross. The Irish recruiting class now has ten commitments — seven on defense and three on offense. I expect the staff to add a few more along the defensive line, especially focusing on players with speed. I’d say this is one of the biggest pick ups in a very long time for Brian Kelly and Notre Dame, so Irish fans should be very excited about this one!

Next: Vegas Sets National Championship Odds

Osafo-Mensah’s Recruiting Service Rankings:*

• 247(composite)— 4 star (.9519), No.105 overall, No. 7 WDE, No. 15 player in Texas

• 247Sports — 4 star (95 rating), No. 69 overall, No. 5 WDE, No. 9 player in Texas

• Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), No. 160 overall, No. 6 OLB, No. 17 player in Texas

• ESPN — 4 star (83 rating), No. 160 overall, No. 18 DE, No. 24 player in Texas

*Rankings subject to change

— When it all began between Notre Dame and NaNa: