Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2022 35 It only took one visit to South Bend for Boubacar Traore to know where he wanted to play his college football. The West Roxbury (Mass.) Catho- lic Memorial defensive lineman had a two-day visit to Notre Dame that began April 26, and before he left to head back home he announced on social media that he would be committing to the Irish. No games. No commitment ceremony. Just a social media post without any drama to let the country know where he'd be attending school at the next level. "Their tradition — it's the Fighting Irish," Traore told Blue & Gold Illus- trated. "And it's a great school with an awesome business program. I want to major in business." That's not to say Traore's recruiting process didn't have any drama, though. He originally committed to Boston College over Michigan in August 2020. Those two schools plus Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame — which offered him last October — are the five programs that had offered Traore. He de- committed from the Eagles March 12, and at that point Notre Dame was considered the heavy favorite to land his services. Mike Elston was originally recruiting him at Notre Dame, but the defensive line coach left for Michigan in January. The Irish's recruitment of Traore didn't miss a beat, though, when Al Washing- ton replaced Elston. "He's a great guy and awesome to talk to," Traore added. "He's always check- ing up on me. We talk like every other day. It's a great relationship. I really like Notre Dame." Traore doesn't have a long offer sheet, but he does have an impressive ranking. According to the On3 Consensus — a complete and equally weighted indus- try-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies — Traore is a four-star talent, the No. 3 player in Massachusetts, and the No. 15 defensive lineman and No. 116 overall prospect in the country. On3's own rankings list Traore as the No. 3 recruit in his home state, and the No. 11 defensive lineman and No. 83 overall player nationally. Traore helped lead Catholic Memorial to a 13-0 season in 2021, capped off by a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 championship — the program's first in 43 years. He made 40 stops and 10 sacks. Traore is Notre Dame's second com- mitment from the state of Massachu- setts in the cycle. Lawrence (Mass.) Cen- tral Catholic linebacker Preston Zinter pledged to the Irish back in February. Prep Football Report recruiting ana- lyst Tom Lemming believes the Irish are getting a big catch in Traore. "He's a dominant pass rusher who is relentless in pursuit, shows good overall speed and vision, and takes great pur- suit angles to the ball," Lemming said. "He looks thin at 255 pounds and should weigh around 280 at the next level. He's obviously been blessed with big-time athletic ability, and has the long arms and the quick hands needed to remain at defensive end at the next level. "However, he has the body type and strength to possibly move inside in a couple of years." Traore's older brother, Badara, is a 6-7, 320-pound offensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in 26 games —including five starts — during his college career with the LSU Tigers. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE BOUBACAR TRAORE Talented Four-Star Pass Rusher Picks The Fighting Irish FILM ANALYSIS "Traore is a versatile defensive lineman capable of lining up multiple spots on the front. He has good size and length with a wide-hipped build at around 6-foot-4, 250 pounds with a 6-foot-7 wingspan. "Traore shows the ability to rush off the edge showing good get-off, quick hands and bend. He shows speed-to-power as a straight-line rusher. "As a run defender, Traore has some pop in his hands and can stack and shed. He also shows good play speed as a backside pursuit defender. "It will be interesting to see where Traore's body goes after time in a college strength and conditioning program. I would not be surprised if he continues to add significant weight. We'll be monitoring his senior season in Massachusetts, and his total skill set is enough now to feel good about his potential as a blue-chip prospect." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power "He's obviously been blessed with big-time athletic ability, and has the long arms and the quick hands needed to remain at defensive end at the next level." PREP FOOTBALL REPORT RECRUITING ANALYST TOM LEMMING ON TRAORE Last fall, Traore recorded 40 tackles and 10 sacks while leading West Roxbury (Mass.) Catholic Memorial to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 championship for the first time in 43 years. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM