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Notre Dame Football: USF served as the Jordan Botelho welcoming party

By Daniel Morrison

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 30: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish warm up before an NCAA football game against the Stanford Cardinal on November 30, 2019 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 30: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish warm up before an NCAA football game against the Stanford Cardinal on November 30, 2019 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football’s freshman defensive end, Jordan Botelho, made a name for himself when the Irish played USF last week.

Jordan Botelho, a freshman defensive end, made a name for himself against USF. On special teams, he made two outstanding plays on punts. The first play came when the ball went of the USF punter’s head and Botelho lit him up in the endzone as he tried to get a punt off. On the second special teams play, he blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

So, who is Jordan Botelho?

A 6’2,” 248 lb freshman defensive end, Botelho is a part of the long standing Hawaiian pipeline to South Bend. He was highly touted as a recruit, holding 4 stars on 24/7 Sports and an 8th ranking among his position group in the 2020 high school class. Playing for the famed St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Botelho chose Notre Dame over the likes of Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, and USC. As a senior at St. Louis, he had 10 sacks and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best linebacker.

https://twitter.com/Jordanbotelho_/status/979135816613093376

He has converted to defensive end for Notre Dame, and that should only help him excel as his career in South Bend goes on. He is an excellent speed rusher, who is going to be harassing quarterbacks for a very long time. If he can get a bit stronger to handle the run game, he has the potential to be the best player on Notre Dame’s defense for years to come.

An early enrollee, for whatever that may be worth in the era of COVID-19, Botelho impressed the Notre Dame coaching staff a lot during camp. Despite his age, Brian Kelly was impressed with his knowledge of the game, his speed, and his explosiveness at the snap of the ball.

All of this speaks to who he is as a player. He plays on instincts. That means he makes decisions quickly, and when he does so he punishes his opponents. An excellent tackler and closer to the ball, Botelho brings a linebackers approach to the defensive ends spot.

Next. When will the Irish push the ball down field?. dark

Get used to the name Jordan Botelho on Saturdays, because as he announced against USF, he is here and he’s ready to go for the Irish.

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