1. Notre Dame’s 2019 recruiting class picked up its fourth commit (again) when New Jersey lineman John Olmstead announced for the Irish at his school today. The 6’6″, 290-pound behemoth was in the “ND lean” bucket for quite some time; his affinity was solidified on an early April visit, after which he scheduled his announcement.

Olmstead has mentioned higher interest in Wisconsin and Minnesota in the past and he has an impressive offer list, as we’ll see below, but I couldn’t really pick a runner-up here. I get the sense that in this recruitment, there was Notre Dame and then there was Not Notre Dame.

Recruiting Service Rankings

247 Sports Composite — 4 star (.9317), #169 overall, #18 OT, #4 in NJ

247 Sports — 4 star (90 rating), #297 overall, #32 OT, #4 in NJ

Rivals — 4 star (5.9 rating), #63 overall, #10 OT, #1 in NJ

ESPN — 4 star (80 rating), #240 overall, #23 OT, #6 in NJ

Cohort

In addition to Notre Dame, John Olmstead holds offers from Arizona State, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others.

His offer timing is interesting too. The services have expressed some concern over his junior tape, which isn’t as sharp as his sophomore tape. Coaching staffs don’t seem to share that concern, though; the Florida, Ole Miss, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, and Florida State offers all came in after his junior season ended.

Highlights

This is Olmstead’s sophomore film.

Olmstead looks a little stiff in space at times, with so-so athleticism and footwork; I’m not sure he projects to a tackle at the next level. That’s the bad-ish news. The good news is that he has substantial power and meanness, so he could be a very good interior lineman. His initial punch needs more consistent aggressiveness, but once he locks onto someone, it’s over. He shows great leg drive and plays past the whistle on every snap; even when he pancakes his man, he doesn’t stop blocking him. Love it. He fits the mold of what Harry Hiestand and now Jeff Quinn likes to see in his linemen.

Impact

Olmstead will definitely need a couple of years as an understudy, first to build strength and flexibility and also to hone his technique. I could see him working into the rotation as a redshirt sophomore, and as a potential starter on the interior down the road.

Welcome to the Irish family, John!