Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 61 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY TODD D. BURLAGE Firmly committed to Stanford last summer, defensive lineman Armel Mu- kam couldn't have imagined that his final college choice would take such an unexpected course. Most player recruitments unfold on the Internet in full view, every stop and each visit tracked and well documented. For Mukam, when he flipped his com- mitment from Stanford to Notre Dame last August, the reaction was mainly one of "Who's that?" The news of Mukam becoming the 23rd member of the 2023 Fighting Irish recruiting class came out of nowhere because the Woodberry Forest (Va.) School product had never even visited campus and his scholarship offer was never divulged. The secret's out now, and Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is thrilled to have Mukam on board. "He's an intelligent young man and loves the game of football," Freeman said. "He has those intangibles that we're looking for." And as a gifted high school student, expect Mukam to successfully manage the difficult juggling act Notre Dame will provide. "Notre Dame is great academically and has top-tier football," said Mukam, whose only campus connection came from a virtual computer tour of it with Irish director of recruiting Chad Bowen. "That was really appealing. I need to be challenged on and off the field." If Mukam's commitment to Notre Dame came unconventionally, so did his journey here. Both of his parents lived in Africa before moving to La Prairie, Quebec, which is where Mukam was born and grew up. When in Canada, do as Cana- dians do, so Mukam took up hockey and became quite good at it, despite his large size. Interestingly, as a youth hockey player, Mukam had already taken an interest in a certain Northern Indi- ana university. "Notre Dame was always a dream school for me," recalled Mukam, who didn't play football until his sopho- more year of high school. "When I was living in Canada, I always wanted to play hockey for Notre Dame." To find better competition and coaching to fuel his new athletic pas- sion, Mukam and his parents worked out Armel's U.S. relocation. With limited playing experience, Mukam didn't hit the recruiting radar until after a solid junior year. His first scholarship offer came from z William and & Mary, which he called "a pretty big moment." A bust-out senior season caused his recruiting stock to soar and brought Power Five scholarship offers from coast to coast. Mukam insists he's ready for his next chapter, even though his inexperience will bring some natural growing pains at this level. "I'm a hard worker," said Mukam, in- sisting he's up to any and all challenges, "on the field and in the classroom." ✦ Armel Mukam Takes An Interesting Journey To His Dream School Mukam, who was born and raised in Canada, grew up wanting to play hockey for Notre Dame but will instead make his mark on the gridiron. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM ARMEL MUKAM DEFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-4 · 250 WOODBERRY FOREST (VA.) SCHOOL LA PRAIRIE, QUEBEC RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 40 10 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 79 16 ✪ ✪ ✪ — — 24 ✪ ✪ ✪ 191 28 7 STATISTICS • Notched 60 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries during his se- nior campaign. • Recorded 41 total stops, 8 tackles for loss and 6 sacks as a junior. NOTABLE • 2022 All-Central Virginia Player of the Year per The Daily Progress. • 2022 and 2021 Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association first-team defense. • Competed in track and field as a thrower. • Finished second in 2022 Virginia state shot put finals with a toss of 52 feet, 2.5 inches. • Also qualified for the Virginia state meet in the discus with a personal-best throw of 147 feet, 3 inches. • Played hockey growing up. • From Canada but played his prep football in the United States to pursue college football. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Aug. 24, 2022. • Was pledged to Stanford but flipped his com- mitment to Notre Dame without ever stepping foot on campus. • Recruited by defensive line coach Al Washing- ton and defensive coordinator Al Golden. • Visited Notre Dame once, for his official visit on Nov. 19, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Mukam is likely to redshirt as a freshman. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "You have to start off with the combination of play and functional strength. He's a big, strong defensive end who ultimately will probably project as a run-stuffing end or could grow into becoming a full-time defensive tackle. " The play strength is significant. He projects well as an edge setter against the run at the next level. He also shows some good pass-rush ability, too, and moves around well. He's a solid athlete. The strength and explosion is validated with his 50-foot-plus shot put, which is a positive indicator for any line of scrimmage player we're looking at. "At this point, I view him as a big, edge-setting run defender who — if he slides inside — can pres- ent a pass rush, too, if he grows into an interior defensive lineman."