Notre Dame landed one of the most significant recruits of the Brian Kelly era today when blue-chip WDE NaNa Osafo-Mensah announced his commitment to the Irish. Is it really that big a deal, you ask? NaNa is a top-ten player at a position Notre Dame historically struggles to recruit, and he will enroll early in the same year Daelin Hayes will finish his eligibility. So, yeah, it’s a big deal. Mike Elston and Clark Lea did a phenomenal job to pull the 6’4″, 231-pound athlete away from home-state Texas; Tom Herman wanted this kid badly, but it was Elston who closed the deal.

Osafo-Mensah visited in January for Notre Dame’s first 2019 junior day, and took his official visit the weekend before the Blue-Gold game. On both visits he got quality time with future linemates Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears; on his official visit, Jordan Genmark Heath reportedly was the perfect host. The connection with current and future players was definitely a major factor, as was NaNa’s very real focus on academics and the beloved 40-year decision. While many Irish fans fretted as Texas predictions mounted, it seems that Elston sold NaNa on Notre Dame early and he never really wavered.

Also of note is that NaNa just killed it at the Dallas Nike regional, earning the DL MVP title and an invitation to the Opening this summer. He’s well-ranked already, of course, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him climb even further before the cycle is over. There’s a brief clip in here of him working with Demarcus Ware at the event and offering his thoughts:

NaNa is in the fold. Somewhere, Ini Kamoze is smiling.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247 Sports Composite — 4 star (.9519), #105 overall, #7 WDE, #15 in TX

247 Sports — 4 star (95 rating), #69 overall, #5 WDE, #9 in TX

Rivals — 4 star (5.8 rating), #160 overall, #6 OLB, #17 in TX

ESPN — 4 star (83 rating), #160 overall, #18 DE, #24 in TX

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame and Texas, NaNa Osafo-Mensah holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, USC, and Vanderbilt, among others. Not too shabby.

Highlights

NaNa is an explosive athlete; his burst off the line and his short-area quickness are frightening. I didn’t see much in terms of pass-rush technique – he has the speed, bend, and power to be really effective, just needs to learn the craft. I did see very active hands, though, whether it was in fighting off blocks, batting down passes, or tapping the ball out while tackling. That shows both awareness and exceptional physical talent, which makes me not all that concerned about him picking up the technique. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that after an offseason of things like tutoring from Demarcus Ware, he’ll show some big improvement this fall. He also seems to play with a controlled anger, which, well, yes please.

Impact

Will the Irish need Osafo-Mensah to make an immediate impact? I doubt it, given that Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara will be seniors. It would be nice to get him some time right away, though, as he’ll probably have to be part of the rotation in 2020 – we don’t know what we have yet in Kofi Wardlow or Justin Ademilola (or anyone who might move to WDE), and Ade Ogundeji now seems destined for the strong side. The good news is that with early enrollment, I think he’ll be more than up to the task of being a rotation player and possibly even a starter as a true sophomore. This kid has all the physical tools, he’s smart, and he’s a hard worker. The sky is the limit.

Welcome to the Irish family, NaNa!