Notre Dame 2018 recruiting continued its streak today, as Farmington Harrison (MI) linebacker Ovie Oghoufo verbally committed to the Fighting Irish during the first day of this weekend’s visit (his second time visiting South Bend). This is Notre Dame’s 5th commitment from the class of 2018, all five being 4-stars or higher. The 247 Composite ranks the 6’3″/207-pounder as the #271 overall player and #22 outside linebacker in his class.
If Harrison High School rings a bell, that’s because 2016 Irish signee Khalid Kareem was a former teammate of Ovie’s at the school. Khalid is close friends with Ovie, and he reportedly played a major role in this recruitment.
God. Country. Notre Dame. ☘ #IrishBouND18 pic.twitter.com/VjOh1RLwSV
— Ovie Oghoufo (@_OvieO_) July 22, 2016
Recruiting Service Rankings
247 — Not Yet Rated
Rivals — Not Yet Rated
Scout — 4 star, #238 overall, #21 OLB, #4 in MI
ESPN — Not Yet Rated
247 Composite — 4 star (.9048), #271 overall, #22 OLB, #5 in MI
Cohort
Ovie chose the Irish over other offers from Michigan State, Michigan, Syracuse, Kentucky, Boston College, Cincinnati, and a few others.
Highlights
Ovie’s highlights show an athletic linebacker with plenty of length. Kid’s wingspan is pretty wide, and it made him look taller than his listed height on tape. He used those arms pretty well, too — once he wraps you up, you’re not going anywhere.
Ovie has a pretty nice burst off the line and has the ability to get to the quarterback, but he also has the presence of mind necessary to pursue the ball down the line and avoid getting caught too far in the backfield. Something that he will need to work on (like so many other young defenders) is that he has a tendency to tackle high sometimes. Overall, this is a really talented player with plenty of upside.
Impact
It’s probably to far away to diagnose what kind of impact Ovie will have on the field, but he looks like a really pickup. Landing another 4-star continues the excellent momentum Notre Dame has for the class of 2018 right now. I don’t think anybody expected the Irish to get off to this fast of a start. But it could continue. There’s some speculation that 2018 DE Malik Vann could come to a decision soon, and if that is the case, the Irish are the favorite to earn his pledge. Let’s hope the ball keeps rolling.
Welcome to the Irish family, Ovie!
Welcome, Ovie. I can’t wait to hear Dan Hicks trip over your name, or, heaven forbid Hammond call a game…
Ovie-wan Kenobi
Ovie-wan Kenobi, you’re our only hope!
Double post. No edit button.
Germans?
Forget it, he’s rolling.
I’d post a whining gif…but have no idea how to do that.
Shiny.
This is troubling, at best for future prospects. No active Ovie has ever won in the 2nd round of a playoff.
/hockey joke which will whoosh over many
//possible divisive for the handful that get it, but also true
///Deal with it, 2016 Stanley Cup champs
Athletic 4-star players committing on the defensive side of the ball are a happy thing
So what is different from this year and the years past, in regards to recruiting? It has to be the internal staff guys I keep reading about. 2016 and 2017 seem to be rolling along. They also appear to be more organized. It looks like the staff is focusing on guys they have a chance with, and not really messing around too much with the guys that want the attention they get from an offer but have no real interest in ND.
This is like going to a bar full of women. I’ve had friends that could just start working through them from the hottest on down, and they usually ended up scoring with something decent. I had to take more time, guage their interest, and let them get to know me a little better. The lesson here I guess is I didn’t always end up going home with someone.
Well I’m thrilled with what’s going on with recruiting. I hope we keep it going now and in the future.