There was always going to be an academic portion of blue-chip offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola‘s recruitment. It had to be because his parents, who are from Nigeria, demanded it.
The Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter’s standout visited dozens of schools, but it was with his agent. The plan all along was for Olubobola’s parents to go on the official visit once he committed to the school, and that will be Notre Dame.
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Olubobola made his decision late last week, and he announced his commitment to the Irish on Tuesday — with the blessing of parents.
“They’re very excited,” said Olubobola, who is the No. 17 player nationally and top-rated player in Notre Dame’s class. “That was one thing they weren’t too sure about with other schools. When Notre Dame got in the picture, yeah, they really liked that.”
Olubobola made it to campus for the spring game last month, and he immediately felt at home as he toured campus, spoke with coach Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph, and learned more about the power of Notre Dame’s degree.
“I just felt like I found a school that is the best fit for me and my family,” Olubobola said. “We sat down and talked to the coaches, talked to the people and they felt like it was a place I could go and trust the people there.
“They have good O-line development, good people, a good education standard. Now I can focus on the season and getting better as a football player.”
The style and approach Rudolph employs meshed with Olubobola as well.
“He’s very patient,” Olubobola said. “He always lets his O-line develop. He told me about guys he has and he likes to build them up. He doesn’t take a lot of o-line transfers. They are big on o-line development.”
Here is what you need to know:
WHAT OLU OLUBOBLA SAYS ABOUT NOTRE DAME
“It fit me,” he said. “It fit the type of school I go to now. There is great O-line development there. Coach Rudolph is a great coach. There is a good standard for education there and they have good football.”
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE MIX?
This recruitment was all over the place. Olubobola made visits across the country, including an early March one to Washington, trips to LSU, Nebraska and 20 minutes down the road to Rutgers. But the real players were Texas A&M, Miami and Florida. In fact, a month ago, it appeared that Olubobola would head to Texas A&M and then Miami stepped in.
Notre Dame did not become a player until Olubobola visited campus for last month’s spring game, and Irish suddenly moved into contention. When Miami and Texas A&M began battling for five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews, it allowed the Irish to become more involved and make a move to land Olubobola.
WHERE OLU OLUBOBLA RANKS AS A RECRUIT
Olubobola has a 247Sports grade of 95. He is the nation’s No. 17 player and No. 2 offensive tackle, and the No. 1 player in New Jersey. In the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Olubobola is the No. 1 player in New Jersey and No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 15 player nationally.
HOW OLU OLUBOBLA FITS WITH NOTRE DAME
Olubobola is now the top-rated recruited in Notre Dame’s class and second offensive lineman. He joins Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s James Halter, who is the No. 57 player in the class. The Irish are stocking up on high-level talent on the line of scrimmage.
Olubobola will need to develop quickly if he is to play as a true freshman, but this commitment is the long game for the Irish. He has the talent to be a cornerstone left tackle, but it will take time for him to get there.
WHAT WE THINK OF OLU OLUBOBLA
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins provided the following eval notes on Lewis:
– A lean, mean and green offensive tackle with a monster ceiling given the combination of his length and twitch.
– Still very much a work in progress, but had encouraging moments during practices for the annual Under Armour All-America Game as a junior and has continued to make technical advancements.
– Bends at the knees with ease and creates extension.
– Shuffles feet to wall off run lanes or extend pockets.
– Quick to recover on the move and reengage with assignments.
– Can find a wide base but lacks anchor strength at this stage and needs to improve overall power output as that will allow him to be more of a bulldozer in the run game.
– Should be viewed as an athletic corner-protector who is going to have a chance to man the left side of the line on Saturdays and potentially Sundays if he keeps progressing.
– Tracking to start college well before 18th birthday, which signals that plenty of growth is still coming.
