Notre Dame landed a new commitment today, with Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee defensive end Darren Agu announcing his pledge to the Fighting Irish.
“It’s a huge offer; you can’t pass up on it,” Agu told BlueandGold.com. “They could easily get someone else at my position, so as soon as I got the offer, I wanted to make it official as soon as possible.
“I know that they’re one of the best schools educationally, and they’re doing well in football. It’s one of the best options you can have.”
Notre Dame offered Agu on Thursday, April 1 and immediately shot to the top of his list. He was considering taking official visits to Georgia Tech, Florida State, Penn State and Vanderbilt this summer — and Alabama offered on April 1 as well — but those trips will no longer be happening because Agu jumped on his offer from the Irish.
“They’re consistently so good at football, and they’re great academically as well,” Agu added about the Fighting Irish. “A degree from Notre Dame is big.”
He informed the Irish staff of his decision on April 2 and announced his pledge one week later.
“When I called Coach [Mike] Elston, he was with the rest of the staff, and they were all shouting with excitement,” Agu said. “That was pretty nice.”
“It’s an incredible academic school, great football program, playoff contender and there’s going to be other kids around you who are in your same process,” Rabun Gap Nacoochee head coach Joe Sturdivant said. “The difference maker was the academic history of Notre Dame and his background. It just seemed like a great fit for him.
“When Notre Dame calls you, you answer and you’re happy. When they ask you to come, most people say yes. It’s an elite education with elite athletics, and it has great coaches.”
Rivals lists Agu as an “athlete” as he held offers for both tight end and defensive end. He’s ranked with a 5.7 recruit ranking — the highest designation for a three-star player — and is the nation’s No. 27 “athlete” and No. 47 player in the state of Georgia.
During seven games as a junior in 2020, Agu caught 13 passes for 218 yards and five touchdowns. In limited reps on defense, Agu recorded 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks and one fumble recovery. Two games of Agu’s junior season are not included in his stats.
“College coaches say I’m very athletic for my size,” Agu said. “They think I can pass rush or drop into coverage. I could play tight end or defensive end at the next level.”
Agu held 31 scholarship offers during his recruitment, including Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Agu is Notre Dame’s third defensive end commit in the 2022 class, joining Chantilly (Va.) High’s Aiden Gobaira and St. Louis John Burroughs’ Tyson Ford.
BlueandGold.com attended the VTO Elite 100 camp in Atlanta on March 28 and saw Agu dominate the competition with his excellent burst, length and quick hands. He was awarded the Defensive Line MVP of the camp and was easily the top overall prospect in attendance. He ran two 40-yard dashes, and we clocked him at 4.75 and 4.76.
Agu was born in Ireland and moved to England when he was very young. He moved to the United States last August to attend Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee, a boarding school in North Georgia with many other international recruits. Last fall was Agu’s first season of playing 11-man football.
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