Notre Dame Football Freshman DE Devin Aupiu Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
Notre Dame lost a highly recruited defensive end on the same day it received a commitment from another.
Freshman Devin Aupiu, an early enrollee from Oxnard (Calif.) Pacifica who made the transition from defensive end to linebacker for the Irish during the spring, announced on his Instagram account Tuesday evening that he has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Aupiu’s announcement came roughly half an hour after the Irish received a commitment from four-star defensive end recruit Brenan Vernon of Mentor (Ohio) High. Vernon is ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the class of 2023.
“After speaking with Coach [Brian] Kelly and the Notre Dame staff, I have decided to enter my name in the transfer portal,” Aupiu wrote on Instagram. “I am grateful for the opportunity that was provided to me by Notre Dame and look forward to seeing where my next chapter leads me.”
He enrolled at Notre Dame without ever officially visiting the campus because of the recruiting dead period. The No. 39 weak-side defensive end in the class of 2021 per Rivals, Aupiu was originally committed to UCLA before flipping his pledge to Notre Dame in December.
As a junior at Pacifica in 2019, Aupiu helped his team to its first ever CIF 2A state championship with 62 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 12 pass deflections. Aupiu received his Notre Dame offer late in the recruiting process because the Irish were waiting on a decision from Highland Springs (Va.) High’s Kelvin Gilliam Jr., who ultimately signed with Oklahoma.
When it became apparent Gilliam would stick with the Sooners, the Notre Dame staff offered Aupiu. He committed a week and a half later and signed his national letter of intent a week after that.
Six months after Aupiu seemed set on Notre Dame, he’s back on the market.
“He’s put so much thought into this,” Moon told BlueandGold.com in December. “He made a pros and cons chart — UCLA on one side and Notre Dame on the other side. He’s not too worried about the cold. He wants to see different places and travel all over the country.”
Per Rivals' NCAA Transfer Portal Twitter Account, Aupiu said he “does not want to be contacted by other schools.” The account states that “rare” occurrence “usually means he already knows where he is going so doesn't want to be bothered by other schools.” Aupiu could be headed closer to home to play for UCLA after all.
Aupiu was one of three Notre Dame defensive end commits in the class of 2021. Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken's Jason Onye and Los Gatos (Calif.) High's Will Schweitzer, both three-star prospects, signed with the Irish as well. Neither half of that duo is expected to compete for playing time on a Notre Dame defensive line with plenty of depth heading into the 2021 season.
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