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Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Irish Land Another Linebacker

By Carlee North

SOUTH BEND, IN - AUGUST 30: The mural at the Hesburgh Library, commonly known as "Touchdown Jesus" is seen on the campus of Notre Dame University before a game between the Norte Dame Fighting Irish and the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - AUGUST 30: The mural at the Hesburgh Library, commonly known as "Touchdown Jesus" is seen on the campus of Notre Dame University before a game between the Norte Dame Fighting Irish and the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Continuing with a recent trend, Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish added another linebacker on Thursday.

Notre Dame Football just got alot better. A 2019 linebacker, Osita Ekwonu from North Carolina, committed to Notre Dame. His commitment came after his Mid-April official visit could not have gone any better for him and his family.

That was the weekend that several Notre Dame commits (Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears) were also visiting, most notably, recent defensive end commit NaNa Osafo-Mensah. Those group of guys have become extremely close and it was clearly a big reason why the Irish landed Ekwonu.

Another major reason for Ekwonu’s commitment is academics. Osita and his family are very serious about education and Notre Dame hit all the right buttons when presenting what the Irish would offer him, not only on the field but especially in the classroom and what life would be like after football with a Notre Dame degree.

Most Irish fans say this a lot, but it’s the truth: The combination of academics and athletics Notre Dame offers isn’t matched anywhere else in the country. All in all, he is exactly the type of player the Irish staff looks for when evaluating talent, the “perfect” fit.

Ekwonu holds 23 offers from some major programs such as Alabama, Florida, Ohio State and more. The biggest competition for the Irish though were the high academic schools like Northwestern and Duke, and in the end the Irish got their guy.

What will Ekwonu bring to South Bend?

Aside from the obvious hard work in the classroom, Ekwonu is a great athlete. The 6’2, 220-pound linebacker is a physical specimen. He sheds of blocks like it’s nothing and when he makes impact with the ball carrier, they are immediately stopped in their tracks.

In coverage, he has a good change of directions and he doesn’t have stiffness in his hip movement. With his size right now, he could probably even play some safety, but once he adds some muscle to his frame, he will be your prototypical linebacker. In high school, he actually plays on the offensive side of the ball as a running back, which shows you how athletic he really is. If he gets up to 235 pounds, along with his speed, he will be an absolute bruiser at linebacker. 

Class Outlook

The staff did a great job here, staying on top of him throughout the entire process. He’s going to be really good in South Bend and I love this addition to the class. With Ekwonu, the class now has 13 commits with 9 on the defensive side, 3 on offense, and a punter.

Next: Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Irish Add 2020 Tight End

The staff will try and add at least one more linebacker to go along with Ekwonu and most recent commit Jack Kiser when it’s all said and done. I could see four linebackers, though. Notre Dame fans should be very excited with what the coaches are building; this class is already very special and it’s only June. Stay tuned for more.

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