Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 JUNE/JULY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Jason Onye won't be the lone player from Rhode Island when he enrolls at Notre Dame in 2021. Jamestown, R.I., native Harrison Leonard was a walk- on freshman kicker last fall. Onye, a 6-5, 248-pound strong-side defensive end from Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendricken School, made his commitment to the Fighting Irish May 7. "We already talked about me going there a few months ago, but we were talking about how the visits may not happen in June," Onye said. "So from there, I was thinking I might as well get it over with. The whole [Notre Dame] staff was excited." He picked Notre Dame over Ari- zona, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. In total, Rivals reports that Onye holds 17 scholarship offers. Part of the timing of his decision was due to the coronavirus pandemic halting visits for the foreseeable fu- ture. Onye has not been to South Bend previously, and was planning to get on campus in March. The Irish coaching staff is confi- dent about the prospect as a young man and player, and the feeling is mutual from his side. "I'm pretty comfortable, to be hon- est," Onye said. "The fans, the com- mits, everyone loves it. I'm pretty sure I'll love it, too, once I get on campus." According to Blue & Gold Illustrated's Lou Somogyi, the Fighting Irish have had only five players from Rhode Is- land appear in action for Notre Dame, including Leonard. The most famous Fighting Irish player to hail from Rhode Island is West Warwick's Jim Mello, a fullback for the 1943 and 1946 national championship teams. Onye will look to make his own mark at Notre Dame, but there's plenty of developing that will need to occur. Rhode Island isn't known as a high school football hot bed, and is actu- ally quite far from it. Dating back to the 2002 recruiting class, there have been only 21 prospects from the Ocean State who were ranked as two-star recruits or higher. While Onye hasn't played against top competition in Rhode Island, he's certainly dominated. He recorded 68 tackles, 12 for loss, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles last fall. He also helped Bishop Hendricken to its sec- ond straight Rhode Island Interscho- lastic League championship. Onye is still new to the game of football, too. He's played basketball for Bishop Hendricken, but prior to his sophomore year he decided to give football a try. Based off raw ability and athleticism alone, Onye crushed his competition and racked up double-digit scholarship offers. He is a developmental prospect and a near lock to redshirt as a freshman, but has a high ceiling with his talent. "Coach [Mike] Elston sees me as their strong-side defensive end, and on third-down situations, I can slide to the interior," Onye said. "That's what I do in my high school games, too." Elston, a longtime assistant under Brian Kelly at Notre Dame who cur- rently serves as defensive line coach, built a strong relationship with Onye after offering him a scholarship in December 2019. "I appreciated how Coach Elston came to my school twice; most coaches won't do that," Onye noted. "It's Rhode Island — who comes here? I felt really wanted, and he re- cruited me hard." He is Notre Dame's third defen- sive line commit in the 2021 class, joining St. Peters (Mo.) Lutheran of St. Charles defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio and Mansfield (Texas) Legacy defensive end David Abiara. He has built a strong relationship already with his future teammates. "Me and [cornerback] Philip [Ri- ley] already get along together really well," Onye said. "Me and Gabriel have been good friends since I got the offer. He helped me feel more comfort- able with the process. And everyone knows [offensive tackle] Blake [Fisher] — he's a cool guy, high energy." Onye is Notre Dame's 10th com- mitment and may be the final defen- sive line prospect in the class. Rivals ranks Onye as a three-star talent and the No. 39 strong-side de- fensive end nationally. His parents migrated from Nigeria as adults, and Onye was born in Rhode Island. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JASON ONYE Rhode Island Pass Rusher Picks Notre Dame Onye, a Rivals three-star talent, picked the Fighting Irish over Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and others. PHOTO BY PAUL DANESI RECRUIT ANALYSIS "[Jason] Onye is a big, fast defensive end who is just bigger and stronger than anyone he's played in high school. He gets by with a lot of his athleticism. He has no problem disengaging from these offensive linemen he plays against. At the next level, that's not go- ing to fly; he's going to need to work on hand techniques and improve his overall strength. "At this point, he's purely a rush end in high school with the thick build which will fill out at Notre Dame. We're looking forward to him de- veloping his technique and becoming a more refined prospect at the next level." — Rivals East Coast recruiting analyst Adam Friedman