Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 23, 2021 51 IRISH IN THE PROS of more spread," he explained, "because of how the league is moving forward and just my skill set in terms of getting from Point A to Point B, in terms of slip- ping blocks and pressing blocks. That is something I'll be looking forward to." AN IRISH LEGEND A freakish athlete, Owusu-Koramoah actually had some interest and schol- arship offers from Division I schools to play basketball out of Bethel High School in Hampton, Va., in 2017. Listed as a shooting guard for Bethel, Owusu-Koramoah became known for his lockdown defensive work — no sur- prise there — and his posterizing dunks and blocked shots. With a running start, Owusu-Kora- moah can stretch his elbow above the rim. Without one, he can still dunk ver- tically, off two feet. Be it as a defensive end, or any of the linebacker spots, or at free safety, Owusu-Koramoah was asked to play wherever he was needed in high school based on an opponent's offensive style. That versatility made this three-star recruit a perfect candidate to play the rover linebacker spot at Notre Dame, ar- guably the most diverse and intellectually challenging position on the Irish defense. Owusu-Koramoah redshirted in 2017 as a Notre Dame freshman and worked primarily on the Irish scout team. He appeared in two games as a sopho- more before suffering a broken foot that sidelined him for the rest of the 2018 season. Entering his junior year in 2019 without a single career tackle, Owusu-Koramoah finished that season tied for the team lead with 80 total stops, including a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss with five sacks. His breakout game that season came Sept. 21 at Georgia, when he had a team- high eight tackles (2.5 for loss). It was only his fifth career game and his third start. "You can see his physical ability is real, his suddenness," Irish head coach Brian Kelly said later that season. "You have to factor him in when you're game planning." Picking up last season where he left off in 2019, Owusu-Koramoah was seemingly everywhere. As a blitzer, he recorded 11 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks with three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In pass coverage — sometimes while asked to guard shifty receivers — he re- corded an interception and three passes broken up. But his strength was providing run support near the line of scrimmage. Owusu-Koramoah finished second on the team with 62 tackles in becoming the 2020 Butkus Award winner as the nation's best linebacker and the 30th unanimous All-American in Notre Dame history. ✦ MEMORABILIA Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Want a prayer published? Call 800-421-7751 M A R K E T P L A C E Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 Jaylon Smith Released By Cowboys, Signed By Packers In a move that nobody outside of the Dallas Cow- boys personnel offices saw coming, the franchise announced Oct. 5 they were parting ways with former Notre Dame All-American linebacker Jaylon Smith after five-plus seasons. Smith — the Butkus Award winner at Notre Dame in 2015 — recorded at least 121 tackles for the Cowboys in three consecutive seasons from 2018-20 and was a NFL Pro Bowl selection in 2019. A combination of salary cap concerns and the im- mediate emergence this season of first-round 2021 draft pick Micah Parsons at linebacker reportedly led to Smith's release. Wildly popular among his teammates, the Cowboys fan base, and its owner Jerry Jones, Smith and Dallas parted ways with some high praise from head coach Mike McCarthy. "In my time with him, he totally bought into the new direction of the program and everything we've done," said McCarthy, who took the Cowboys top job in 2020 before Smith's fifth season there. "The guy practices every single day and plays his ass off. I have nothing but respect for him." Within 48 hours of being released by Dallas, however, Smith was back on an NFL roster. On Oct. 7 his agent told ESPN that he had signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers (3-1, first in the NFC North). Because of NFL veteran termination rules, the Cowboys are responsible for Smith's $7.2 million base salary this season. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's career overlapped with Smith's at Notre Dame. LaFleur was a member of the Irish coaching staff as a quarterback coach in 2014 during Smith's sophomore season, an 8-5 finish. "It's been a pretty cool story having known Jaylon," LaFleur said back in 2019 when the Packers were preparing to play the Cowboys. "I've always really liked him, first and foremost as a person, and to see somebody battle through the adversity that he went through when there were a lot of people who told him he would never play [again]." — Todd D. Burlage Two days after being released by the Cowboys, Smith signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers, who are 3-1 and in first place in the NFC North. PHOTO BY JEREMIAH JHASS/COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS