SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jason Onye initially gave up football, he thought, for good after the fourth grade, years later (2020) verbally committed to Notre Dame in the sport only ever having visited the campus on Zoom, and then changed positions in his first two years with the Irish (2) more times than actual game appearances (1).
Unsurprisingly, his back story and offseason talk with the Irish coaching staff about where he stood and what he could expect his junior year sort of sounded like a prelude to a transfer portal decision.
Except Onye took the advice to heart, transformed and eventually became one of the biggest surprises during Notre Dame spring football more than halfway through the 15 practices.
“Coming into the first day of spring ball, I knew that this season was like a make it or break it, to be honest,” said Onye, a doughy defensive end when he showed up, then a defensive tackle at the bottom of the depth chart in 2022 and suddenly a key rotational player at nose guard this spring.
“So, realistically, beforehand there was a bunch of guys, older guys, ahead of me. That's understandable. Now I'm a junior, I have to come in and play. I knew that the first day [of spring practice] I had to be ready. I had to make sure during the offseason to work harder to get my weight up.
“Kind of gained like 20 pounds, lose fat, all that kind of stuff. Because [D-line coach Al Washington] made sure to tell me that nothing's going to be given to me. No matter, just because of seniority you already have to work for it just like everyone else.”
And work he did. In the weight room with director of football performance Matt Balis. With team nutritionist Alexa Appelman. With returning interior line veterans Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III.
“So at the end of the season last year, I was probably like 275, and now I'm like 292 and 12% body fat,” Onye said. “Compared to when I came here, I came in big, like 289, and I was 27% body fat. And right now I feel good. I basically still weigh the same, I just lost body fat.”
And gained understanding on how to use his remade body.
“A lot of it's just mostly the mental aspect, just understanding the technique,” Onye said. “The main thing is understanding what to do and why you are doing what you're doing. Like the gaps and the gap schemes and like the plays and what are you trying to accomplish.
“When I came in here … I just didn't know what I was doing. See ball, kind of stuff, just like pure athleticism. And now that I can mix it in with actually understanding the game and strategy, it's just great. Feels good.”
Onye originally gave up football in grade school to focus on basketball. At Bishop Hendricken High in Warwick, R.I., a friend talked him into coming out as a sophomore. By his junior year, colleges were noticing. And the teams that recruited Onye after his junior season did so with the notion that his best football was ahead of him.
It took a couple of seasons, that added up to eight actual game snaps, for that prediction to gain traction at Notre Dame.
“He can bend better, his output is higher, longer,” Washington said, touching on Onye’s physical transformation. “Especially inside the trenches. When you're in better shape, man, everything's calmer. And I feel like he's maturing that way. And that investment has helped him.
“He's smart. He's very coachable. He cares. I mean, he's impressive. We’ve just got to keep working on little things.”
Embracing the switch
Notre Dame’s 2022 linebacker haul in the recruiting industry was celebrated perhaps the best at the school in decades.
Jaylen Sneed, Joshua Burnham, Junior Tuihakamaka and Nolan Ziegler.
Two of them, Sneed and Burnham, doubled as their team’s starting quarterback in their respective senior high school seasons.
In the spring of 2023, though, half of the foursome is already playing another position.
Burnham, as expected, moved to the vyper end position last fall in what was seen as a purely developmental year, given that he showed up at 215 pounds.
“Going up against [offensive linemen], you just get washed out of the way,” the 6-foot-4 sophomore, now listed at 247, said. “It was definitely difficult at first. Coach Balis and them, they do a tremendous job. I've put on like 30-40 pounds since I've been here. So, it's been great.”
Tuihalamaka had not anticipated being moved, but started cross training at vyper about a third of the way through the 2022 season while also seeing time as JD Bertrand’s backup at middle linebacker and playing special teams.
The move to the defensive line became full time and apparently permanent this spring.
“At first, it was a little tough,” said the 6-2, 247-pounder. “Right now, I’m actually loving it — being able to come out of my comfort zone, being able to understand something new. It’s fun, learning something new and being able to adjust to it.”
Tuihalamaka was already a big linebacker, so the size adjustment wasn’t as much of an issue. Now neither is the concept of moving away from linenacker, once defensive coordinator Al Golden sold him on the idea that it was the best move for the future.
“Coach Golden sees me at the next level — if I make it to the NFL — as a Dont'a Hightower, a player that will be able to rush off the edge, drop back in coverage. That type of player.
“I was able to see the vision that coach Golden and [head] coach [Marcus] Freeman have for me, so I was able to face the adversity of taking on a new challenge.”
Tuihalamaka is already in the two-deeps as a rotational player behind senior Jordan Botelho, also an ex-linebacker. Burnham is behind Tuihalamaka.
“To be honest, Junior is so damn smart — he’s really sharp,” Washington said. “When he was playing linebacker, stack-backer, he was damn good. He can sit it, feel it. He’s instinctual beyond his years. I think that element has been awesome.
“He’s a guy on the grass that can solve problems. And he’s tough. Obviously talented. He’s taken off. I think he’s progressing really nice, and I have a high level of faith in him, trust in him. So, in terms of him knowing what’s going on and willing to fight in tough moments, I’m excited about him.”
Ford's transition
Sophomore Tyson Ford can take heart in Onye’s transformation. He’s gone from a 260-pound field end to a 6-4, 290-pound defensive tackle trying to work his way into a more-relevant spot on the depth chart.
“Just being able to play more physical,” Ford said of the biggest adjustment. “Not as much thinking as outside. Obviously, it’s still a lot of thinking. It’s a big transition. A little different. No real struggles right now, just trying to learn a new position.”
Washington is encouraged, even if Ford is not in the two-deeps at this point.
“The thing Tyson Ford has going for him is he’s athletic,” Washington said. “He’s a young kid, and I feel like sometimes the rush to have it now.… He’s trending fine. He’s putting it together. He’ll be a really good player.
“For an inside guy, he’ll be that athletic big boy that you recruit, that you’re trying to find. So he just has to stay [with] the process and continue to develop. He’s young. He’s working at it and doing a really fine job.”
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