SIGNED: DE NaNa Osafo-Mensah

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Fort Worth (Texas) Nolan Catholic defensive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah has submitted his National Letter of Intent to Notre Dame.

Rivals: 4.0 stars (No. 24 recruit in Texas, and No. 9 weakside defensive end and No. 200 overall player in the nation)
BGI Grade: 4.0 (top-100 player)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Recorded a 4.51-second pro shuttle drill at Nike Football’s The Opening Regional Dallas April 29. Osafo-Mensah’s performance at the camp earned him an invite to the Opening Finals.

SENIOR SEASON: 55 tackles, 24 stops for loss, 14 sacks, 23 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four passes broken up.
JUNIOR SEASON: 111 stops, 14 tackles for loss and three sacks.

• All-American Bowl participant.
• Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Defensive MVP.
• Dallas-Fort Worth Inside High School Sports Defensive Player of the Year.
• Participated in the 2018 Under Armour Future 50 Camp.
• Nike Football The Opening Finalist.
• Invited to 2018 Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge.
• Named Defensive Line MVP at The Opening Regional Dallas.

POWER FIVE OFFERS: Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah and Vanderbilt

Osafo-Mensah picked up an offer from Notre Dame on May 10, 2017, and while some assumed a top player from Texas was pre-destined to stay close to home, the four-star made it clear he had ton of interest in Notre Dame early on.

That interest picked up even more when Osafo-Mensah made his first visit to Notre Dame for a Junior Day Jan. 27. That visit caught the talented Texan's eye in a big way and put the Irish in a great spot to eventually land him.

• Born on Dec. 18, 2000.
• Eagle scout.
• His parents came to the United States from Ghana in West Africa.
• His father, Dr. Kwaku Osafo-Mensah, graduated from Stanford medical school in 1995.
• National Honor Society Inductee.

Even with a loaded depth chart expected to return, being an early enrollee should give Osafo-Mensah a shot at earning playing time in his first season. He is likely to start at the drop position but he could also play on the strong side.

Osafo-Mensah plays all over the line for Nolan Catholic. He’ll line up wide with his hand on the ground or in a two-point stance, he’ll play tight over the tackle, and he’ll even slide inside and play over the guard at times. He is a standout drop candidate, but with his thick frame, long arms and really impressive natural power he could easily play either end spot down the road, further adding to his value as a prospect.

The Fort Worth native is incredibly instinctive and gets his hands on a lot of balls at the line of scrimmage. He does, however, need to be a bit more decisive at times. Osafo-Mensah has powerful and fast hands. He is a violent and physical defender that simply needs to refine his tackling technique.

He is physical and strong enough to anchor against bigger defenders and his ability to quickly shed blockers and get to the ball is really impressive. At times he stops his feet at the point of contact in the run game, but when he moves his feet and uses his hands he holds up extremely well on the edge, even against bigger blockers.

Osafo-Mensah flashes a really nice first step, and he is an agile athlete with quick feet and good balance, which allows him to quickly get off cut blocks and to get off the ground. Technique against cut blocks needs to improve, but his athleticism allows him to thrive in that area in high school. His hips are a bit tight, which limits his change of direction, but he can handle everything he need to in coverage in the Irish defense.

His pass rushing game is really impressive, even though he’s still a bit raw. Osafo-Mensah has a natural feel as a pass rusher. He knows how to win on the edge and he shows a deep arsenal of moves. Once he refines his hand technique and gets stronger his pass rushing production should become a major asset for him at the next level.

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