Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 MARCH 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANDREW MENTOCK With the popularity of the Madden video game series and Pop Warner youth football, most high school boys are at least familiar with the minutiae of the sport. But when Jason Onye transferred to Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, R.I., as a 6-foot-4 sophomore with broad shoulders and a quick first step, he was in pursuit of glory on the hardwood. He'd never played foot- ball, and the concept of shooting the B gap was completely foreign to him. In order to get better acquainted with his new classmates before the fall semester officially started, he signed up for football. Onye showed up for summer workouts before he even had the necessary medical forms submitted or a permission slip donning a signature from his parents. "I actually had to send him away because he didn't have all the pa- perwork," said Keith Croft, Bishop Hendricken's head football coach. Once his physical was on file, Onye slotted into the back of the defensive line rotation, allowing such a raw yet superior football talent to develop at a moderate pace. By the state championship game, Onye had ascended to the top of the depth chart with his first career start. Over the course of the next year and a half, the defensive lineman received more than a dozen Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers before committing to play for Notre Dame. He made his decision, in part, because the school's tradition of faith, distinguished academics and football brotherhood reminded him of Hendricken. His high school foot- ball team even sports gold helmets inspired by the Fighting Irish. Having played just three years of football, Onye will enroll this sum- mer as one of the least football-sea- soned players on the team. "His best football is still ahead of him," Croft said, "and that's some- thing that Notre Dame fans will look forward to." The same was said of former Hen- dricken high school football star and Michigan defensive lineman Kwity Paye. He entered college with more football experience than Onye, but most talent evaluators were unsure if he'd ever develop into a productive starter at the next level. Onye played against a lower level of competition in Rhode Island than most players coming from other re- gions in the country. However, that never held back Paye, who is now pro- jected as a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Onye will also continue a tradi- tion of Notre Dame trotting out Ni- gerian players along the defensive line. Both of his parents were born in Nigeria before immigrating to Rhode Island. Current and former defensive linemen with similar ancestry ties include Romeo and Julian Okwara, Ade Ogundeji, Ovie Oghoufo, and Justin and Jayson Ademilola. "They're all tremendous players," Onye said. "I hope to follow in their footsteps." Yet, he almost never had such an opportunity. It all started with a desire to im- merse himself among his peers as a high school transfer. "There are a lot of mixed emotions knowing that I could have easily not played," Onye said. "My decision to play football and my decision to transfer to Hendricken changed my life for the better." ✦ JASON ONYE DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-5 · 245 BISHOP HENDRICKEN H.S. NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 44* — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 57^ 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 43! 1 * Ranked as SDE; ^ ranked as DE; ! ranked as WDE Note: Rivals does not have state rankings for Rhode Island STATISTICS • Rhode Island did not have high school football in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Posted 68 stops, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles during his junior cam- paign in 2019. NOTABLE • Born on Dec. 4, 2002. • 2019 Providence Journal All-State first-team defense. • Helped lead Bishop Hendricken to consecu- tive Rhode Island Interscholastic League champi- onship (2018 and 2019). • Besides one fall as a fourth-grader, Onye started playing football as a high school sopho- more. • Named the top recruit in Rhode Island by MaxPreps. • Will be the sixth player from Rhode Island to play for Notre Dame. • Also played basketball at Bishop Hendricken. RECRUITMENT • Offered by Notre Dame in December 2019 and committed to the Irish on May 7, 2020. • Went under the radar as a recruiter for the Irish's 2021 class, connecting with a handful of key targets, such as defensive end signee Devin Aupiu. • Also held offers from Arizona, Boston College, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Ten- nessee and Virginia Tech. • Recruited by defensive line coach Mike Elston. 2021 PROJECTION • Onye is likely to redshirt as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Rivals East Coast recruiting analyst Adam Friedman: "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 and has no problem disengaging from the offensive linemen he plays against. "At the next level, that's not going 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 a thick build which will fill out at Notre Dame. We're looking forward to him developing his technique and becoming a more refined prospect at the next level." Bishop Hendricken head coach Keith Croft: "He's very humble; he allows his teammates to go first. I think he's going to be a great fit for Notre Dame. You enjoy coaching a kid like that. He's got the star power, but his attitude is all about the team. He's not a 'me' guy." Football Has Greatly Impacted Jason Onye's Life Onye will arrive at Notre Dame with a tremendous amount of potential, but only three years of foot- ball experience. PHOTO BY PAUL DANESI