Notre Dame Makes Final Two For Standout Texas Defensive End
Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic four-star defensive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah will give a commitment to either Texas or Notre Dame May 19.
OSafo-Mensah, the No. 160 overall player in the class of 2019 according to Rivals, announced via Twitter Thursday that the Irish and the Longhorns are his two finalists while he works toward a decision.
This list is a narrowing of a top 10 from Osafo-Mensah that included Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Florida, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Georgia.
Now it is the Irish and the Longhorns battling it out with just more than a month to go before an announcement.
With his finalists now public, Osafo-Mensah shared some thoughts on both schools and his anticipation for his official visit to Notre Dame with Blue & Gold Illustrated.
Osafo-Mensah will return to Notre Dame this weekend for an official visit with both parents coming along, and said he is thrilled for the opportunity to see South Bend again. While in town, he will meet with head coach Brian Kelly, defensive coordinator Clark Lea and defensive line coach Mike Elston.
“I remember how much fun I had when I went up there with my family,” Osafo-Mensah told BGI. “Having an opportunity to come back up and check it out again, especially with [Irish defensive line commits] Hunter Spears and Jacob Lacey, is going to be pretty cool.
“Having that environment and hanging out with all the players, Coach Elston, Coach Kelly and Coach Lea will be pretty cool, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The visit, Osafo-Mensah said, was an important one for him to make because he wants to gather as much info on Notre Dame as possible before making a commitment next month.
“It’s priority because I know I already like Notre Dame a whole lot, but I just want to get to know the place more,” Osafo-Mensah explained. “I know on my official visit, I’ll get to spend some more time with the players and see what a day in class would be like.
“Having the opportunity to put myself in the shoes of what a student-athlete at Notre Dame will be really cool. That’s the biggest thing that I want to look at.”
A main point of the trip for Osafo-Mensah will be seeing what it is like to be a student at Notre Dame outside of the football program.
“I know looking at the facilities and everything is really cool and glamorous,” he said. “But having an opportunity to put yourself in the position that attends the school is my biggest thing.
“I want to see how much I’d really like being up there.”
Though the Longhorns may be the team perceived to have the momentum in this race, Osafo-Mensah will spend the weekend in South Bend and will have plenty of pro-Irish buzz in his ear.
The four-star is good friends with Spears, who has been pitching Notre Dame hard.
“We’ve been talking about it a lot,” Osafo-Mensah said. “Both of us really cherish the education Notre Dame provides, and he’s always telling me about how Notre Dame’s opportunities would be different.
“He reminds me that the degree we’d get from Notre Dame would be incredible because it’s something that’s going to set you apart from the rest of the population.”
Osaf0-Mensah also has a strong relationship with Elston, his main recruiter at Notre Dame. In fact, Osafo-Mensah said he almost looks at Elston as another parent.
“He’s just one of those coaches that I know if I were to go to a place far away from home, I could still have a parent there,” Osafo-Mensah stated. “He’s not just a coach, but he’s also going to raise me as a man during my four years, five years or however long I’m there.
“He’s going to a guy I can always rely on after football and after college. We have a relationship already that’s so strong that I can trust him with all my heart.”
This weekend will be Osafo-Mensah’s second trip to Notre Dame, and the talented Texan reiterated that the priority for him over the weekend will be getting a feel for what South Bend life is like off the field.
“I’m going to be looking at what the players usually do outside the football season,” Osafo-Mensah said. “I know South Bend isn’t a big area like Dallas-Fort Worth, so I’m wondering what the players do outside of football season.
“I just want to see what it’s like in the eyes of a student-athlete.”
For Texas, it is the combination of football and academics that has Osafo-Mensah fired up.
“It’s a school that is really good from an athletics point of view, but they also provide academic standards,” Osafo-Mensah said. “They have one of the top business schools in the nation. Me looking into possibly getting an MBA in management, that sticks out to me about Texas because of the business school they have there.
“[Four-star wide receiver] Jordan Whittington, he’s already committed there and he’s been talking to me a lot about it and some other players that have been thinking about it, too.”
In a little more than a month, either Texas or Notre Dame is going to add a big-time pass rusher to its class, and Osafo-Mensah there will be one factor in his decision that will outweigh the rest.
“After I put myself in the eyes and shoes of what its’s like to be student-athlete at the school, the biggest question I have for myself is what school do I know I can go to, that if football was to come to an end for me, I would still be able to enjoy my four or however many years at that university,” Osafo-Mensah said.
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