Inside Aamil Wagner’s surprising commitment to Notre Dame football
With all of the twists, turns and surprises Aamil Wagner’s recruitment had, in the end, it was quite simple.
The four-star class of 2022 offensive tackle prospect from Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne had a top-five schools list of Kentucky, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State, but it came down to the Wildcats, Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions.
On Oct. 29, Wagner tweeted out a commitment date of Nov. 11, but he hadn’t yet fully decided on his school of choice.
He had Zoom calls with the Kentucky, Notre Dame and Penn State coaches (essentially eliminating the other two contenders) in the several days leading up to his decision, and he announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish on a live stream.
That’s the simple outlook on Wagner’s commitment to Notre Dame. In reality, it was much more complicated than that.
Last-Minute Decision
Kentucky was considered the favorite throughout the fall for Wagner since his older brother, Ahmad, was recently hired to the Wildcats’ staff as a graduate assistant. Wagner officially visited Kentucky over the summer, made it in for a game in September and returned for the Wildcats’ 45-42 loss against Tennessee Nov. 6.
With Wagner visiting Kentucky’s campus a few days before his decision, it seemed like a lock that he’d pick the Wildcats. That obviously wasn’t the case, though. He had a sit-down meeting with the coaching staff there and asked the final questions he had for them while on campus.
The following day, Wagner had a Zoom call with Penn State’s coaches and had a handful of questions for them as well.
And the night before his decision, he had his Zoom call with the Fighting Irish coaching staff.
“I asked every last question that we had,” Wagner said. “I wanted to get everything answered and what I needed to know from the coaches. The whole coaching staff was on there — even the defensive coaches like [defensive coordinator] Marcus Freeman and [cornerbacks coach] Mike Mickens.
“They answered all of my questions honestly and truthfully. It wasn’t just what I wanted to hear; it’s what I needed to hear.
“After combining my experiences with those three schools and seeing how they stack up for what’s most important to me, Notre Dame came out on top.”
On that Wednesday night (Nov. 10), his sister, Amani, a track and field athlete for Kentucky State, and his brother on the Kentucky staff came home to Ohio and sat down with Aamil to talk about his impending decision. He also called up his oldest brother, Ameer, who played football at Texas Southern. Of course, Aamil had many conversations with his parents, Lee and Teresa, about his choice of school.
“I was up until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday night talking and praying about it,” Wagner said. “I thought about something my head coach [Roosevelt Mukes Jr.] said. He preached that one day, football will end. He’s been around a lot of athletes like [former Wayne High and Ohio State quarterback] Braxton Miller, and football ended early for him.
“Which school would benefit me the most after football is over? When I thought about that, it was Notre Dame.”
Waking up on Thursday, Nov. 11, Wagner still hadn’t made the final call on which school would earn his pledge. It would’ve been understandable if Wagner pushed back his commitment date, but that didn’t cross his mind as an option.
“Going into the 11th, I had all of the information I needed to make my decision,” he explained. “It was upon me to rank what was most important to me.”
And after coming to the internal decision of choosing the Fighting Irish, when did he tell the Notre Dame staff?
“They found out when everyone else found out,” Wagner said. “I was 95 percent sure going into the day, and as I started my speech thanking everyone, I knew for sure I wanted to pick Notre Dame.”
Yup, you read that right. When a prospect has a commitment ceremony, he (typically) tells the coaching staff of the school he is choosing days and sometimes weeks in advance. In Wagner’s case though, the Fighting Irish staff must have assumed he was going elsewhere because they didn’t receive the heads up that he was picking them — especially after having a big Zoom call the night prior.
“All of the schools in my top five were calling me and thought I had committed somewhere else,” Wagner added. “I needed the final information to make my decision though.”
The first person at Notre Dame who Wagner spoke with after announcing his commitment was offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, who was over the moon about the news.
“It was always a close competition between Kentucky and Notre Dame from the beginning,” Wagner continued. “I kept learning more and more things that I liked about Notre Dame, whether it’s the academics, culture or the history of linemen they’ve sent to the NFL. Kentucky offered a strong family aspect, and it was neck and neck until the end.”
A Fantastic Fit
There was plenty of drama late in Wagner’s recruitment, but in the end, it was a decision that made a lot of sense for him. He’s a straight-A student and big-time recruit choosing a high-academic institution that routinely puts offensive linemen in the NFL. Wagner will be a strong culture fit in the Notre Dame locker room.
“He checks all of the boxes,” Mukes Jr. said of his star player. “You’re talking about a 4.0 [GPA] student first and foremost. He’s a good young man who is going to continue to get better and is willing and able to learn. He takes care of things in the classroom and excels on the field.”
On the field, Wagner projects as an offensive tackle. At 6-6, 265 pounds, he has the length needed to succeed at the position, but he certainly needs to put on a lot more weight. As Irish fans have seen with tight end-turned-tackle Joe Alt this season, it can happen quickly.
“I think he’s a tackle because of his athleticism and how he can move,” Mukes added. “It’s something that’s very attractive to college coaches.
“The physical attributes that he possesses, and he’s only been playing the position for a couple of years — the potential is there. He checks all of the boxes of character and being a student-athlete. He comes from a great family. All of those things come into play. He has the measurables, grades and is an outstanding young man.”
Rivals ranks Wagner as the nation’s No. 202 overall player and No. 23 offensive tackle, plus the No. 9 recruit from his home state of Ohio.
“He’s an athlete,” BlueandGold.com football analyst Tim Hyde said. “He needs to put a lot more weight on, but he’s tall and he’s an athlete. He can strike, move and is very athletic. He’s a 100 percent tackle prospect, which Notre Dame needs more of. He doesn’t have the size of Blake Fisher, but who does?”
With the addition of Wagner, the Irish now have four offensive line pledges in the 2022 class. He joins Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy’s Ty Chan, Lawrenceburg (Ind.) High’s Ashton Craig and Zionsville (Ind.) High’s Joey Tanona. Chan is committed to playing in the Under Armour All-America Game, while Craig, Tanona and Wagner are slated to play in the All-American Bowl.
The current quartet would be another strong haul for Quinn and Co., but closing on Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs’ Billy Schrauth, another All-American Bowl commitment, is key for the Irish.
“For Notre Dame to get a fourth guy in this class — and they’re working hard to get a fifth with Billy Schrauth — it can be a top-five nationally ranked offensive line class after the great group they had last year,” Hyde added.
Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic quarterback and Notre Dame class of 2022 commit Steve Angeli couldn’t be more excited about the blockers he’ll have up front from this group.
“Aamil is a huge addition to this class and offensive line unit,” Angeli said. “I was really excited when he chose Notre Dame. When I was on my official visit with him [in June], I felt like we made a good connection and continued to build the relationship in the fall.
“Overall, the offensive line class is really exciting with the talent and potential these guys have. Ashton, Joey and Ty have all had great seasons as I’ve been following them, and I just can’t wait to get to work with the boys up front.”
Wagner can’t wait to get to work either.
“Notre Dame fans are getting a player who will work his butt off and do the best he can to not only represent the football team but the entire school and fan base as a whole,” Wagner said. “I’m committed. I’m going to put my best foot forward. I’m ready to go to work.”
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