Notre Dame picked up a new commitment in the 2021 class Thursday with Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken defensive end Jason Onye joining the fold. Below are some takes on what Onye’s commitment means for Notre Dame.
1. Notre Dame football recruiting is heating up. There was a lull early in the spring as Notre Dame hadn’t received any new 2021 commits going back to October, along with Rivals100 wide receiver Deion Colzie’s decommitment from Notre Dame. You can even throw in four-star offensive lineman Greg Crippen’s decommitment, too, although that one was mutual. But with the pledge of Onye, Notre Dame has four new commitments in this quarantine era from big-time prospects.
2. Onye was a prospect Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston and Co. coveted. Elston sent out a flurry of offers in January while out on the road recruiting, but Onye’s offer came before that on Dec. 18, 2019, which was actually the day prospects in the 2020 class signed their letters of intent. Elston did his due diligence on Onye as a player and a young man, and only pushed harder for him as the recruiting process went on.
3. Onye isn’t a highly rated prospect right now. He is listed with a 5.6 recruit ranking, which is a mid-level three-star, and the No. 39 strong-side defensive end in the country per Rivals. He does, however, hold offers from Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. He is not a no-brainer prospect, in my opinion, and there is always the discussion that he doesn’t play against great competition in Rhode Island, but it is clear in watching his junior tape that he is a high-ceiling prospect.
