SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Nana Osafo-Mensah needed to be patient.
The former three-star defensive end out of Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic played only in a pair of blowouts during his freshman season at Notre Dame. Then an August knee injury prior to his sophomore season prevented Osafo-Mensah from seeing the field in 2020.
If doubt ever crept into Osafo-Mensah’s brain, he leaned on director of football performance Matt Balis.
“Coach Balis was always in my ear about, ‘OK, Nana, it’s not always about football. It’s not always about getting stronger. But you have an impact on kids out here. There’s people out here that really look up to you and they’re inspired by the way act,’” Osafo-Mensah said. “That’s been something that’s always helped me stay the course. Because even if football doesn’t work out, I still feel like I can do something that can impact the lives of other people.
“Coach Balis was a guy that really helped me remember that day in and day out. It sucks now that he’s gone, this is the year that I’m really going to be able to put more time out there. But I know he’s going to be watching and supporting. I really owe it to him through my process.”
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Balis, who resigned from his position just prior to Notre Dame opening preseason camp late last month, was able to see Osafo-Mensah carve out roles for himself in each of the past two seasons. Osafo-Mensah played in 12 games in 2021 as a reserve defensive end with his opportunities increased in blowout victories. As a senior in 2022, Osafo-Mensah played in all 13 games in a rotation with more high-leverage playing time. He registered at least 20 snaps in nine games last year.
Osafo-Mensah intends to ride last season’s momentum into what will likely be another timeshare at defensive end with Javontae Jean-Baptiste, a graduate transfer addition from Ohio State.
“It definitely gave me a lot of confidence, because it was really my first time being able to get on the field, get some crucial minutes and make plays to help my team,” Osafo-Mensah. “I can carry onto everything I did last year and escalate it more and more this year.”
The on-field production for Osafo-Mensah has been modest: 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble in 25 games the last two seasons. But the impact he’s expected to make on the 2023 defensive line is significant.
“I think Nana is a foundation to our unit, a foundation to our defense,” said defensive line coach Al Washington. “He is one of the few guys I’ve ever been around that has the natural talent to lead. People are (drawn) to him. They’re moved by him.
“We say leaders have to be seen, heard, and felt. That’s Nana. I challenged him this offseason to really develop that talent, and he’s done that. On top of his dependability on the field, what he does off the field, we couldn’t do it without him. To me as a coach, and I don’t just speak for myself, it’s all the coaches. He is a huge part of this culture and a huge part of what makes this thing go.”
Osafo-Mensah leans into the leadership role with a Notre Dame career that began as an early enrollee in January 2019.
“With that I’ve seen how different teams have been, how they come and go, how different guys have come and gone throughout the program,” Osafo-Mensah said. “I have a better understanding on when you have the hard times. Like if you’re a younger guy not getting as many reps as you want to being an older guy and getting more responsibilities within the defense.
“A lot of guys have been able to really trust me and be able to rely on my advice to get them through things. I’ve been able to really take advantage of that and show the guys that I’m here for them whenever they need me.”
Notre Dame needs more from Osafo-Mensah and the rest of the defensive line as it has to replace the significant losses of Isaiah Foskey, Justin Ademilola and Jayson Ademilola. The 6-foot-3, 264-pound end is in a position to provide much more than leadership after gaining more than 10 pounds since last season.
“My favorite thing I did [this offseason] was put on the weight I wanted to get to,” Osafo-Mensah said. “Last year I was playing around 248, 250. But I was really able to get to a consistent 260 now. Being able to have the extra weight on me, and still being able to maintain my speed and gain strength has been my biggest improvement.
“Now I feel like I can do anything in terms of playing on the edge, playing inside more as three-tech or something like that. I really feel like that weight’s going to really help me with my versatility going forward.”
Osafo-Mensah will debut the latest version of himself when Notre Dame opens the season against Navy on Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland. It’s a country Osafo-Mensah has already been to twice this year and is excited for the 2023 season to start there.
When it does begin, he believes it could mark the start of something special. He feels a closeness within the team that’s different than previous seasons.
“I just want to be remembered as a leader that really took us to a national championship this year,” Osafo-Mensah said. “That’s my biggest goal. I’m trying to make this a big season for me. I really want to be able to go out and lead these guys in that direction.
“We have so many people that have come in. We’ve had guys that have left. This whole team is a new identity, but it’s not anything that’s unfamiliar with anybody. I truly feel like this is the team that can really take it all. This is the team that can really shock the world. We’re just ready to prove that.”
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