On National Signing Day, we posted an overview of the 2018 Notre Dame recruiting class with recruit grades and some thoughts on the class. Wednesday, we discussed our grades for the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions; yesterday, it was the big boys, offensive linemen and tight ends. Today we move over to the other side of the ball to look at a very talented front seven group. Enjoy!
The transcript of Brian Kelly’s signing day press conference can be found here.
Signees
| 247C Score | 18S Grade | Player | City/State | Ht/Wt | Pos | Stars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .9567 | Â 96 | Shayne Simon | Pittsburgh, PA | 6-1/224 | ROV | * | * | * | * | |
| Â .9547 | Â 93 | Jack Lamb | Temecula, CA | 6-4/220 | ILB | * | * | * | * | |
| Â .9453 | Â 93 | Jayson Ademilola | Jersey City, NJ | 6-3/290 | DT | * | * | * | * | |
| Â .9015 | Â 83 | Matt Bauer | Erie, PA | 6-2/222 | ILB | * | * | * | * | |
| .8755 | 83 | Ovie Oghoufo | Â Farmington, MI | 6-3/215 | OLB | * | * | * | ||
| .8742 | Â 84 | Ja’Mion Franklin | Ridgely, MD | Â 6-1/295 | DT | * | * | * | ||
| .8709 | Â 79 | Justin Ademilola | Jersey City, NJ | 6-3/240 | WDE | * | * | * | ||
ROV Shayne Simon
18S Average: 95.5
Brendan: 97
Future All-American. Cerebral kid who also happens to be one of the best athletes on the field. Could earn the starting Rover spot as a true freshman (assuming Tranquill moves to Buck as expected). Was an absolute terror during Army All-America practices and almost earned a fifth star from 247. Clark Lea’s defense will showcase this guy for four years.
Eric: 95
For me, it comes down to size. If he’s really 215 and pretty in the neighborhood of 6’3″ in high school he’ll be able to put on 20 pounds and be a terrific linebacker. He’s basically a larger Bilal with an uptick in most Madden stats. He has to see the field early, I suspect some sort of dime package will be right up his alley.
Jaden: 95
Simon brings a type of athleticism that ND rarely brings in at LB. His film is filled with impressive plays in pass coverage. He displays great awareness and coordination. Simon shined during the Army All-American game and is already physically ready to contribute. He will play next year and be a staple of the defense for years to come.
Tyler: 95
Biggest get on the defensive side of the ball. Athleticism of a safety in the body of a linebacker. If he’s as big as he’s listed, he could see the field early. Probably should in some capacity, regardless. With TranqDogg firmly entrenched as the stud Rover, Shayne will have a chance to grow as a player and learn the position in low-pressure situations for a year before having a good chance to start in 2019.
ILB Jack LambÂ
18S Average: 92.5
Brendan: 94
Miles Teller doppleganger is more than just a pretty face. Has exceptional athleticism for his size, which gives him the versatility to play Mike (where he’ll start), Buck, or drop end. Great frame to add size if needed. Smart player who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Like Simon, he shined during all-star practices and shot up the rankings. Early enrollment gives him a good shot at being in the two-deep.
Eric: 91
Long legs, quick feet. That’s a great combination to have for a linebacker and one of the reasons why some see a future defensive end. Smart player who is able to read plays well. With his long legs he’s able to track down plays across the field with ease. If he continues this at the next level he’s a top 3 defender on the Irish defense as an upperclassman.
Jaden: 93
Jack Lamb absolutely cleans up plays. A huge body that moves well and has room to fill out. He has room to add a clean 20 lbs and thrive under Clark Lea’s tutelage. Most importantly, he easily could’ve beat out Vince Vaughn in the casting of Jamie O’Hara for Rudy.
Tyler: 92
Jack Lamb — what a great name for a linebacker. I’m picking him as my favorite defensive player in the class (mostly because of the name and because I think he looks like a cross between Elvis and a young Harland Williams). But not only does Jack have a really good name, he’s also a really good linebacker. A big, lengthy kid who makes his living blowing run plays up in the backfield? Yes, please. His athleticism won’t wow you, but he’s not hurting in that area. It’s obvious that he really likes to hit. And he’s very a very smart and instinctual player. Watching his highlights, at times it was almost as if he knew exactly where the ball was going right after the snap.
ILB Matt Bauer
18S Average: 83.0
Brendan: 82
One of the earliest commits of the class – actually committed to BVG. Super-physical kid who shows a lot of promise in run support. Has looked limited in coverage in camp settings, which might be misleading but raises concerns about his ceiling. Seems most likely to fill a situational role as a thumper against power teams.
Eric: 83
Hard hitter, with good balance and bend while pass rushing. Shouldn’t have a problem going down hill and making plays. Reminds me a bit of Ben Councell. Hard to project how he’d fare against quick passing spread teams. With a name like Bo Bauer he has to be good, right?
Jaden: 85
An aggressive, downhill linebacker who hits like a truck. He has a nice frame to play MLB, and he is very decisive on film. Although he may be limited in coverage, I don’t think he looks underwhelming athletically. He might not ever be a full-time player, but I’d be surpised if Lea doesn’t find a role for him.
Tyler: 82
Gotta say, it’s really fun watching him blitz the quarterback in his highlights. Ability in coverage is a huge question, but I could see him making a niche for himself as a thumper near the goal line and blitzing in passing situations. His ability to grow into an every-down linebacker is pretty unclear at this point.
OLB Ovie OghoufoÂ
18S Average: 83.0
Brendan: 84
Plus athleticism for his size. Serious wingspan allows him to disrupt passing lanes, snag runners, and fight blocks. Tenacious block-shedder who doesn’t stop if he gets stoned once. Big frame that could easily fill out into a drop end. Played a ton of offense and returned kicks; lack of focus on defense shows in technique. He’ll need time, but he has the tools to be very good.
Eric: 81Â
Sometimes I love the guys who play both ways. Other times I worry about where they will fit in once they get into college. Ovie is in the latter category for me. Depending on physical development he could play all three linebacker positions, heck he could play tight end! He’s a good athlete to try and mold for the future.
Jaden: 83
Really fluid athlete that brings a lot of potential to Notre Dame’s linebacker room. He reminds me of Asmar Bilal coming out of high school in terms of versatility and athleticism. Ovie will need to pack on weight before he’s ready to play, but he could turn into a force in the open field. There has been some talk of converting him to more of an edge rusher, which seems possible, but I question if he can ever get big enough to fill that role.
Tyler: 84
Ovie is a really good athlete who played numerous positions in highschool. I think once he settles into a spot on the defense, he will develop very nicely. Could eventually fill out enough to where he gets moved to drop end. I think if that happens he could end up being very good. I won’t complain if he ends up staying at linbacker, though. He’s got really good potential at either position, but he will need time to develop.
DT Jayson AdemilolaÂ
18S Average: 93.3
Brendan: 93
Don’t believe there are 11 better DTs in the country. Went toe-to-toe with 5* Jamaree Salyer at the Opening and gave other elite linemen fits during Army practices. Outstanding quickness and power, coupled with technique that is very advanced for his age. Needs to add bulk to be an every-down interior player, but could contribute on the edge right away if needed. Ceiling is very high.
Eric: 94
Super well rounded as a lineman which is going to help him get on the field early. Combines a really tantalizing mixture of power and speed. Good, not elite burst. Looks comfortable coming off the edge or twisting by an interior lineman. I don’t think the quickness is there but he reminds of a longer and possibly more powerful version of Sheldon Day.
Jaden: 94
Likely smaller than what he’s listed at, but Jayson will be a rotational player already in Year 1. He’s one of the twitchiest DT’s in this year’s class and should provide a good pass rush from the interior. Technically sound, good pad level, and quickness. He’s about as polished of a DT recruit we’ve had in years.
Tyler: 92
Likely not big enough to see early minutes in the interior. Will probably start at the big end position and move to the inside more as he grows. He really burst onto the national scene in summer camps and continued that with a strong senior season. He has a great blend of strength, burst, and polished technique that will really help him work into the rotation early.
DT Ja’Mion Franklin
18S Average: 83.5
Brendan: 86
Held his own at the Opening against much higher-ranked players. Built like a fire hydrant. Powerful, powerul guy with surprising short-range quickness that should help him be a disruptive presence. Needs more time with Matt Balis than Jayson Ademilola does before he’ll be ready to contribute, but definitely has starter potential. Has lunchpail attitude and leadership potential too.
Eric: 79
Super quick off the line at his weight. Simultaneously large but his speed allows him to squeak through defenders and into the backfield in a hurry. Concerned about his very short legs and disproportioned body. I worry once he’s facing bigger linemen in college they’ll be able to tip him over against his long torso. Not sure his arm length is there to fight off these battles very much. Franklin should be an interesting prospect to watch. He’s nominally a nose guard recruit but may survive almost exclusively in college as a penetrating lineman more in the mold of a 3-tech.
Jaden: 85
Super interesting body frame. On film he’s an animal, albeit against lesser competition. Regardless, he’s really quick off the ball and has a high motor. I think he has the potential to create a good pass rush from the interior. Because of his smaller frame, he’ll have to be the ultimate technician to find success. We’ll see what Elston can get out of him, but I’m optimisitc that his speed will find a positive impact on the field.
Tyler: 84
Moves like a guy much smaller than 6-1/300 pounds. Not only that, but he’s strong and powerful. I think he would be rating much higher by the recruiting services if he was a couple inches taller with longer arms. His length is a concern — he’ll have to learn how to use his hands very well — but these types of things are rarely the as important as scouts think they are. Maybe his potential isn’t as high as some other guys because of his length, but he’s strong, athletic, and he gets after the ball-carrier. He should have a chance to get into the rotation at DT fairly early.
WDE Justin AdemilolaÂ
18S Average: 79.0
Brendan: 80
A mystery wrapped in an enigma surrounded by a quagmire. No senior season highlights, no camp highlights. Showed some solid physical skills as a junior and reportedly developed further as a senior. Being Jayson’s brother is clearly a factor, but Justin is not a throw-in. Good raw material. Has a big chip on his shoulder from being the “less talented” twin.
Eric: 78
It must be weird to have your own brother 500 spots ahead of you in the national rankings. It makes sense though. Justin is a solid prospect but not really overwhelming good at the prep level. He’s a bit slow off the line which is a concern, and is also a big reason why most think he’ll grow into an interior prospect. He has good strength and that should be his greatest asset at Notre Dame. My grade is a little lower due to questions about his future position and development there.
Jaden: 80
Shows pretty good strength and pursuit in his junior film. He apparently reshaped his body between his junior and senior seasons and improved on his explosiveness. Unfortunately, there’s not really any film available to back that up. He will be really interesting to follow over the next couple years. Justin isn’t quite as big, but his ceiling might be a 2017 Khalid Kareem-type year.
Tyler: 78
Kind of hard to grade based on the lack of recent film available. In his junior film, he looks like a solid player but isn’t particularly explosive. Which means he’s likely more suited for the strong side. Problem with that is that he doesn’t have great size or length. He just seems like a bit of a tweener and doesn’t really fit right into any position on the line at this point. It’ll probably take a few years for him to fit in somewhere.
Here are some of my interpretations (based on your excellent opinions):
>Simon – very excited to see him play (let’s get him on the field splitting time at rover)
>Lamb – future solid starter like Morgan or Coney?
>Bauer – I was higher on him until I read this article (maybe he’ll have a chip on his shoulder like Jack Bauer?)
>Ovie – just put him at DE, give him some protein shakes, and let him learn from Hayes and Okwara right away
>Jay Ad – going to be a solid contributor on the line for years (wait, didn’t people say that about Ewell?)
>Franklin – was surprised by E’s low score, but I typically respect E for being a realist
>Justin Ad – is his ceiling Bonner’s career path?
I was thinking of a “Lamb and Bauer need to switch first names” joke as well.
But then again, hopefully Jack Lamb can be a chip off the old homonym of Jack Ham and that would be pretty swell too.
I definitely think Simon will see some time at Rover this year. How much time will likely depend on some combination of the development of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and whether whatever happens with the safety situation and his physical development encourages the staff to move Jordan Genmark Heath to rover. With Tranquill moving to Buck, which I think is more or less a done deal at this point, the job is wide open.
Lamb is really, really good. He’s actually quite a bit bigger than Morgan and Coney, who are both 6’1″; if he can fill out his frame without losing his athleticism, that makes his ceiling higher than theirs was way back when. Whether he’ll hit his ceiling or, like Coney, crash through it is of course another question with a ton of variables involved that we can’t know yet. But I like his chances.
Bauer is a guy the current staff probably wouldn’t have offered, but he was already committed and they weren’t going to push him out. He took some strides his senior year, so don’t write him off just yet. I think his ceiling is probably Dan Fox, which isn’t a bad guy to have around.
I’ll be interested to see what they do with Ovie. Lea said he might even get a look at Rover, which seems kind of nuts. Uber athletic.
Ewell played against a lower level of competition and didn’t camp as much as Ademilola, so he was more of an unknown even though people thought (and think) great things were (and are) possible for him. He also had worked really hard to build his power in HS but his conditioning wasn’t there.
E and I disagree on Franklin, obviously. Not much more to say about that one. The proof is in the pudding.
It’s really hard to say what Justin’s path is, because he’s pretty much a ghost to the general public. Maybe we got a sleeper, but most likely he’s a guy whose most likely contribution will come as an upperclassman.
Worth noting that Elston said on NSD he expects Justin to be the sleeper of the class and is extremely excited about him. It’s a unique situation with Jayson being highly visible and Justin having almost no exposure over the past year and a half. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Justin opened a lot of eyes over his time at ND.
First things first E’s the realist