It has been a solid recruiting season for the Notre Dame football program, and they got another big commitment on Wednesday night.
Chaulk up another big one for the Notre Dame football staff, as they continue to stockpile talent for their 2021 recruiting class. Notre Dame has flipped 2021 defensive end Devin Aupiu out of California, from UCLA, a player who has been on the radar for quite some time now.
Aupiu has been committed to the Bruins since April of this year, but the Irish made a move the last couple of weeks with constant communication throughout the staff. They started that contact with Aupiu the past several months, who was also showing just as much interest in return.
This past week, the staff officially offered Devin Aupiu and all bets were off for him and his family. Once the offer came it was only a matter of time before he pulled the trigger, deciding to join a program that is likely headed to the College Football Playoff this season.
With the combination of academics and athletics that Notre Dame offers, the distance wasn’t going to scare him away whatsoever. The Irish being one of the top teams in the country sure as heck doesn’t hurt either. He also plans to enroll early in January which would be huge for his development. Aupiu holds 9 offers from the likes of Cal, Arizona State, Southern Cal, and several others.
So what does he bring to Brian Kelly’s defense?
Notre Dame football: Irish flip California defensive end Devin Aupiu
What will Aupiu bring to South Bend?
The 6’6 225-pound defensive end is going to bring a lot of size, and with his size, you sometimes worry about speed, but Aupiu can definitely run for his size. He has really nice instincts and a high-end motor, which defensive line coach Mike Elston is certainly going to use to his advantage once he arrives on campus.
You could also add the fact that he is tough as nails, and looks like he plays with a massive chip on his shoulder. Will he start game one of next season? Probably not, no. Could he be a really good player in a couple of years once he gets stronger? No doubt about it.
He has all the tools and the mindset, and once he gets into the strength and conditioning program with Matt Balis, I really think Aupiu could be capable of being a great player. This was of course a late pickup, but it’s someone I don’t mind the staff taking a risk on late in the game, especially with the upside he shows.
Hopefully, the Polynesian Bowl, where’s he’s been selected as an All-American, will be played this year, so there’s another chance to watch him work along the defensive line before heading to South Bend.
With Aupiu aboard, the 2021 class now has 24 commitments, which include one specialist, eleven on offense, and twelve on defense. Aupiu will be joining DT Gabriel Rubio, DE Jason Onye, DE Will Schweitzer, LB Prince Kollie, and LB Kahanu Kia along the defensive front seven.
This is a real solid group that could be extremely productive in the next couple of years as a whole. You just gotta love what defensive coordinator Clark Lea is doing, not just on the field but in this recruiting class as well.