Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 MAY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED M ansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara planned to visit Notre Dame during the weekend of March 20-22. He also hoped to get to Alabama, LSU and others before mak- ing a decision sometime this summer. However, the coronavirus pan- demic forced the NCAA's hand in en- acting a special dead period through May 31 before Abiara was able to visit any additional schools. Ultimately, this may have helped Notre Dame win Abiara's recruit- ment. The No. 42 prospect in Texas and No. 21 strong-side defensive end nationally per Rivals announced his commitment to Notre Dame March 27. "Yeah I wanted to go see some other places, but from early on I had a good feeling that Notre Dame was the school," Abiara told Blue & Gold Illus- trated. "My family is really proud of me and happy that the process is over." Abiara held 18 scholarship offers ac- cording to Rivals, including Alabama, Baylor, LSU, Michigan State, Okla- homa, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Washington State and Wisconsin. N o t re D a m e d e f e n s i v e l i n e coach Mike Elston offered the 6-4, 240-pounder a scholarship Jan. 23. On Feb. 1, Abiara visited Notre Dame and loved everything about his time in South Bend so much that he nearly committed soon afterwards. Abiara decided to hold off on making a ver- bal pledge, but not for long. "I told [the Notre Dame coaches] that I'm ready, and today [March 27] I felt it was necessary for me to an- nounce it," Abiara added. "I felt like that it was best for me and what I'm trying to accomplish. I knew it was the school for me, so there was no point in waiting any longer. "We love the religious aspect of it. The people there and the environ- ment is just different. For as big of a brand that Notre Dame is, there's only 8,000 undergrads on campus." His commitment to the Fight- ing Irish did come together rather quickly, and a lot of credit has to go to Elston for that. "He's a super chill coach and knows what he's doing," Abiara said of Elston. "He's a great coach and down-to-earth guy. I can't wait; it's going to be fun playing for him." Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly helped seal the deal as well. "He's also a great coach and is super down to earth," Abiara noted. "He never hesitated to call and talk to me. That was really big for me as well." Rivals lists Abiara as a strongside defensive end, which he well could play at Notre Dame. The Lone Star State product informed Blue & Gold Illustrated that the Irish are looking to start him out at vyper, the weak-side defensive end spot in Clark Lea's de- fense that often drops into coverage. Notre Dame has a defensive tackle pledge in St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles' Gabriel Rubio, who is rated the No. 2 recruit in Missouri and the No. 99 overall prospect in the country by Rivals. The goal for Elston and Co. in the 2021 class was to pair Rubio with a big-time edge player, and Abiara is a prospect the staff particularly coveted. "He's so fast off the edge and is so physical," Legacy head coach Chris Melson said. "With his length, he can really keep blockers off of him. He uses his hands and long arms really well. "He can separate from tackles re- ally quickly and go make plays. He's really special." Abiara's skills over the past couple years on the field have grown tre- mendously, but it may be his lead- ership qualities that have increased even more. "He's really matured," Melson added. "When you meet a young man as a ninth-grader, he was just a young kid. He didn't have any idea of what he was doing and what he was going for. As he's grown and been in our program and matured on his own, you see this kid who really works hard and encourages his teammates. "I think the greatest leader is the one who serves others. David is re- ally starting to understand that and is serving his teammates in lots of ways other than just vocally. He's the first to clean things up, pick up things off the track. That just makes him greater all the time." Abiara was named to the District 6-5A Division I All-District first-team defense as a junior. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE DAVID ABIARA Lone Star State Pass Rusher Has 'Good Feeling' About Notre Dame Abiara, the No. 42 prospect in Texas and No. 21 strong-side defensive end nationally per Rivals, was a priority target for the Fighting Irish. PHOTO COURTESY DAVID ABIARA FILM ANALYSIS "[David] Abiara is a lean, athletic edge rusher with an impressive frame [6-4, 240 pounds]. He has long arms that allow him to take full advantage of offensive tackles as he races around them on the edge. At times, Abiara can keep offensive linemen at a distance and ex- plode past them in one-on-one situations. The wingspan also allows him to make highlight reel-level plays as he closes in on quarterbacks. "Based on his frame and tape, Abiara loves to rely on a stab technique to go toe-to-toe with offensive tackles. It showcases his individual power and bend as he explodes through to the quarterback. Abiara often lines up as a wide- nine or straight over the tackle and consistently gets good pressure from his side of the ball." — Rivals analyst Sam Spiegelman