Notre Dame Makes Top Five For 2019 DE David Ojabo
After several visits this summer, 2019 defensive end David Ojabo of Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy has narrowed his recruitment down to five schools: Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas A&M.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder embarked on a length summer tour which included stops at each of the five programs above, Cal, Duke, Virginia and Syracuse. All of those trips were unofficials outside of his visit to Notre Dame, which was an official.
On June 18, Ojabo cut his list of nearly 40 offers to 15. It took just a week to shift his focus to just a handful heading into the heart of the summer.
The Irish made a strong impression on Ojabo during his official visit and certainly caught the attention of the three-star defensive end during his first experience in South Bend.
“It was fun,” Ojabo told Blue & Gold Illustrated at the time. “It was a good experience out there. I’ll have to get back down when school is in session and get the full experience.
“We went to Coach Brian Kelly’s lake house and went out on the lake. We just bonded with the team and everything like that. It was good to get a feel for everything.”
Defensive line coach Mike Elston has been serving as Ojabo's lead recruiter since landing an offer back in April.
“We just continued to build our relationship,” Ojabo said of Elston. “We already have a strong one. It was good for our relationship. He’s come down to school a couple of times, and it was good to come up here and go to his house and be around him.
“He’s a down-to-earth guy. He just keeps it real every time.”
But, trips to Michigan and Ohio State afterwards seemed to have stopped that momentum Notre Dame was able to create.
Initially, it seemed Ojabo wasn't anywhere close to making a commitment. However, he stated in follow ups after his trips to Ann Arbor and Columbus that a date was more up in the air and "it might come earlier than expected."
Notre Dame remains in the hunt for the talented rising senior, who has played just a handful of high school games, but the Irish have some work to do.
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