Notre Dame’s 2021 class is on a roll.
Earlier this week, the Fighting Irish landed four-star cornerback Philip Riley from Valrico (Fla.) Bloomingdale, and then Brian Kelly and Co. received a pledge from Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken defensive end Jason Onye.
Onye gave his commitment to Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston on Wednesday and announced his decision Thursday afternoon.
“We already talked about me going there a few months ago, but we were talking about how the visits may not happen in June,” Onye told BlueandGold.com. “So from there, I was thinking I might as well get it over with. He was excited and the whole staff was excited.”
Elston built a strong relationship with Onye since offering him in December 2019. The Fighting Irish became the favorite as his recruitment progressed, and even though he hasn’t been able to visit campus yet, Onye knew that Notre Dame was the place for him.
The aforementioned Riley hadn’t visited South Bend either, but due to COVID-19 it is unknown when visits will be able to occur again. The Irish coaching staff feels very good about Onye as a young man and player, and the feeling is mutual from Onye’s side of things too.
“I’m pretty comfortable to be honest,” Onye said. “The fans, the commits, everyone loves it. I’m pretty sure I’ll love it too once I get on campus.”
Why did Onye pick Notre Dame?
“What they can offer to me besides football,” he answered. “I appreciated how Coach Elston came to my school twice; most coaches won’t do that. It’s Rhode Island; who comes here? I felt really wanted, and he recruited me hard.”
Onye is Notre Dame’s third defensive line commit in the 2021 class, joining St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio and Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara. He has built a strong relationship already with his future teammates.
“Me and [Riley] already get along together really well,” Onye said. “Me and Gabe have been good friends since I got the offer. He helped me feel more comfortable with the process. And everyone knows Blake [Fisher] — he’s a cool guy, high energy.”
Onye is commitment No. 10 for Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class.
The 6-5, 248-pounder committed to Notre Dame over Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. In total, Rivals reports that Onye holds 17 scholarship offers.
In helping lead Bishop Hendricken to its second straight Rhode Island Interscholastic League championship, Onye recorded 68 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.
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