The 2016 Notre Dame recruiting class included several highly touted defensive end prospects like Julian Okwara, Daelin Hayes and Khalid Kareem.
Hayes was considered a five-star prospect and Kareem ranked as a Rivals 250 player. At one point, both were committed to other powerhouse programs: USC and Alabama.
Notre Dame was able to convince Hayes to flip from the Trojans and Kareem left behind the Crimson Tide for the Fighting Irish, and the rest is history.
Those aren't the only 2016 defensive ends who were once committed to another program. Ade Ogundeji, who was a three-star recruit coming out of Walled Lake, Michigan, was once a Western Michigan pledge.
His commitment to Notre Dame didn't receive the same fanfare as the other two, and he was considered a developmental project, likely weighing somewhere between 210 and 220 pounds when he arrived on campus.
But his impact on the Irish football program is shaping up to be nearly as important as his higher-rated classmates, assuming he comes back for his fifth year, that is.
Ever since Okwara went down against Duke, Ogundeji's role on the team has increased and he's showing why he can be a special player.
He followed up his two-sack performance against Boston College with six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble versus Stanford. Ogundeji did not have a sack this season prior to the Okwara injury.
With Hayes coming back for a fifth year in 2020 and several promising freshmen and incoming recruits, the Notre Dame defensive ends could be just as formidable next season.
IRISH DEFENSE OVERALL GRADE
By looking at the Pro Football Focus grades for each regular defensive rotation player and the number of snaps they played, the defense averaged a 67.1 rating.
While Notre Dame had a dominant second half, they still gave up 17 points to Stanford in the first 20 minutes of the game and Cardinal quarterback Davis Mills had almost 200 passing yards in the first two quarters.
In my book, this was a B Minus performance from the Irish defense.
Defense Overall PFF Grade: 67.1 - "Average"
