Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468566
36 JUNE/JULY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED He's just finishing up his sophomore year of high school, but Owen Wafle al- ready knew that he wanted to spend his college days at the University of Notre Dame. "It wasn't a matter of if I was going to commit but when," he said. The four-star prospect received his of- fer from Notre Dame on St. Patrick's Day during the staff's "Pot of Gold" recruiting initiative. The staff offered around 70 new prospects on that day, including Wafle. He already loved Notre Dame, but af- ter learning more about the history of the program and building a strong con- nection with the staff, it didn't take long for him to make the call to commit. "Notre Dame has so much history," Wafle said. "I learned so many facts about Notre Dame during my visit that I had no idea about. They use gold from the Golden Dome on the helmets, which is sick. "One of the main reasons I committed was because I built the best relation- ships there. Coach [Al] Golden is from the same area as me, and I went to the high school he graduated from for a year (Red Bank Catholic). I also built a strong relationship with Coach [Chad] Bowden and Coach [Al] Washington, who is an awesome defensive line coach. It was really fun to watch him coach his guys in practice; I think very highly of him. "They made it a really easy decision for me." Between Bowden, Golden, Washington and head coach Marcus Freeman, the Irish staff made Wafle feel like a major priority. "They kept in great contact, and I knew that I knew I wanted to play big- time football and get a great education," Wafle noted. "Academics was a huge part for me. They're in their own league in academics and football. "It was the history and the relationship with the coaches that really pulled me in." Wafle was on a call with Bowden and Golden when he informed them that he wanted to commit. He then called Wash- ington to break the news to him, followed by a conversation with Freeman. "He is one of the coolest people I've ever met," Wafle said of Freeman. "I feel like he's going to change this program for the better. He was surprised and re- ally pumped about it as well." Wafle projects as an interior defensive lineman for Notre Dame, but there's no telling exactly where he'll end up just yet. "It's looking more like defensive tackle because of my frame at the mo- ment." Wafle explained. "I'm about 6-3, 270- 27 5. T h ey 're ta l k i n g to me about D-tackle/ one-tech. They want to see how I progress the next couple years and will make that decision when I get there." In On3's own rank- ings, Wafle is the No. 12 prospect in New Jersey and the No. 36 defensive lineman in the country. But according to the On3 Consensus — a complete and equally weighted in- dustry-generated aver- age that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies — Wafle is the No. 4 recruit in the Garden State, and the nation's No. 20 defen- sive lineman and No. 227 overall player. Wafle also held offers from Boston College, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vander- bilt and West Virginia. His father, David, was a defensive lineman for Duke in the early 1990s. In nine games as a sophomore, Wafle posted 47 total tackles (5 for loss), 1 sack, 4 quarterback hurries, 1 fumble recovery and 1 forced fumble. He was named to the 2021 Mid Atlantic Prep League first-team defense. According to NJ.com, Wafle has 11- inch hands, a 6-foot-10 wingspan and wears a size 17 shoe. "He's one of the most powerful and explosive kids I've ever coached," Hun School head coach Todd Smith told NJ Advance Media. "He has outrageous measurables and extreme twitch, so he's a real formidable kid on the defensive line. "I've never had a 270-pound kid who looks like this." ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE OWEN WAFLE Relationships Lead New Jersey Defensive Lineman To Notre Dame Wafle, the No. 20 defensive lineman and No. 227 overall prospect in the country according to the On3 Consensus, became the Irish's second commitment in the class of 2024. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM FILM ANALYSIS "Wafle is a physically advanced defensive lineman. He's both strong and physical for a 2024 prospect. Wafle moves around the de- fensive line at the high school level, showing the ability to disrupt as a defensive end and tackle. He embraces contact and consistently has his way at the point of attack. "We also see some physicality show up on offense where he works as an H-back. It will be interesting to see where his body ends up in a few years. He could be a run-stopping defensive end who can slide inside on pass rush downs or could potentially grow into a full-time interior defender." — On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power "He is one of the coolest people I've ever met. I feel like he's going to change this program for the better." WAFLE ON NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN