Notre Dame rises to land 2024 four-star LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

It was the perceptual boost Notre Dame football recruiting needed, though the actual substance of four-star linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s Sunday verbal commitment will likely be more impactful and certainly more enduring.

Keeping his decision virtually airtight until he went public at 5 p.m. ET, the nation’s No. 35 player overall and No. 3 linebacker in the 2024 class opted to become commit No. 22 in an Irish group that rated fifth in the Rivals team rankings coming into the day. ND then leapfrogged Michigan into fourth place, with Georgia, Ohio State and Florida still 1-2-3.

Perceived favorite Ohio State and nearby USC were the runners-up for the 6-foot-3, 227-pound rising senior from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif. His expansive offer list also included the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and Texas A&M.

“I’m not saying he’s as good as Manti Te’o, but he’s similar,” recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of the Prep Football Report said. “He’s got those great instincts, and he plays for a national championship team at Bosco.

“He’s tough. He runs well. He’s intelligent and hard-working. He does everything well. He’s a team captain. Great kid, I’ve known him since his freshman year. Everything you look for in a defensive player, he is. If he has the year I expect him to have as a senior, he’ll be a five-star prospect.”

Assuming Viliamu-Asa proceeds to sign with the Irish in December, he’ll be the highest-ranked defensive player Notre Dame has landed since five-star edge prospect Daelin Hayes in the 2016 cycle — Rivals-ranked No. 31.

It’ll also mark the third straight cycle in which the Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman have landed a linebacker ranked among the top 50 players regardless of position following current ND freshman Drayk Bowen (No. 48) and sophomore Jaylen Sneed (No. 46).

“Notre Dame is a special place," Viliamu-Asa said Sunday. "It’s a place where I don't have to compromise. I’ll get the best of both worlds, education and football opportunities. And this last week, I’ve really been praying. And I feel like God led me to choose Notre Dame.

“It’s a different feeling when you step on campus. It’s a really spiritual place. And it’s a place where I feel I’m going to be able to be focused and be able to become the best man, athlete and student I can be.”

Notre Dame earlier secured commitments from three-star prospect Teddy Rezac and four-star recruit Bodie Kahoun for its 2024 linebacker contingent and is likely done for the cycle, a week before hosting a large contingent of 2025 prospects at a cookout recruiting event.

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Viliamu-Asa took two unofficial visits to Notre Dame this year, on March 18 and again for the April 22 Blue-Gold Game, before visiting officially the weekend of June 16. That was bookended by his official visit to USC the weekend before and to Ohio State the week after.

“Coach Freeman is great, has great energy, and I really believe in him and what he’s trying to do with the program," Viliamu-Asa said Sunday. "A lot of guys have a lot of respect for him. I’m excited to see what he can do.

After his visit with the Irish, Viliamu-Asa shared his thoughts with Inside ND Sports recruiting writer Charleston Bowles.

“The time spent with coach Freeman was imperative in getting a feel for how he is and who he is,” Viliamu-Asa said. “It was very beneficial and spoke volumes for the head coach to make [the] effort to spend time with us. … Their plan is to put me in positions to be versatile, similar to how they use Marist Liufau.”

Viliamu-Asa spent considerable time on his Notre Dame visit with two ND players who share his Polynesian heritage — Liufau, who’s from Hawaii, and vyper end Junior Tuihalamaka, who’s from southern California.

“It was great to talk with them, because they were in the exact situation I’m in,” Viliamu-Asa said. “To get their perspective on what led them to Notre Dame being under somewhat similar circumstances allowed me to see it’s possible to succeed at a place outside what I’m familiar with. Their advice was, ‘Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.’”

When asked Sunday what Notre Dame is getting in him, the humble Viliamu-Asa tamped down any self hype.

“I don’t want to speak too much," he said. "I just want to go out there and prove it, but I’m going to buy into the process and do my due diligence.”

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