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.

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!