Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503982
36 AUGUST 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY KYLE KELLY In the early morning of May 15, Roa- noke (Va.) Patrick Henry High linebacker Bodie Kahoun surprised Notre Dame fans by announcing his verbal commitment. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Kahoun chose the Irish over North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and 12 other Power Five offers. "This whole process has been crazy," Kahoun told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I was ready to end it and get it done." On3 considers Kahoun a three-star recruit, the No. 11 prospect in Virginia and the No. 47 linebacker in the coun- try. As a junior, he had 81 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 pass broken up. At the start of the last football season, Kahoun played safety but broke his wrist in the second game. When he returned, there was a need at linebacker, so he played there for the final five games of the fall. That film caught the attention of college coaches in the offseason. Kahoun had scheduled four June of- ficial visits to Notre Dame, North Car- olina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech in early May. But instead of going on an- other tour of schools, Kahoun locked in his pledge with the Irish's 2024 class. "At first, I was going to wait and do all my official visits, but spots were filling up," Kahoun said. "Coach [Al] Golden and I were texting back and forth, and he was saying how badly he wanted me in their class. So, I said, 'Let's do it,' and pulled the trigger. My family and I were all ready, so I did it." Before shutting down his recruit- ment, Kahoun visited Notre Dame for the Blue-Gold Game April 22. He was also in town for a spring practice March 22. He returned to South Bend on an official visit the weekend of June 9. Since the start of March, Kahoun un- officially visited North Carolina, Ten- nessee and Virginia Tech twice each. He had also reported past unofficial visits to Virginia, North Carolina State, Duke, Utah, Wake Forest, Penn State and South Carolina. The latter three schools never offered him a scholarship. Before he blew up as a Power Five football prospect, Kahoun verbally com- mitted to the Ohio State lacrosse pro- gram in September. He has the chance to play for the reigning lacrosse national champs at Notre Dame. Still, Kahoun is undecided about whether he wants to tackle both sports at the next level. "There's nothing in writing as of now," he said. "I have the opportunity to do both and might pursue it, but we have to sit down and see how hard it truly would be. "Playing two hard-contact sports wouldn't be easy, especially at the Uni- versity of Notre Dame, where they're both top-tier — and you have the academics. It would be a lot to take in as a freshman, so we have to sit down and talk about it." Kahoun comes from a family with an athletic background. His grandfather, Errol Kahoun, played under Bo Schem- bechler at Miami (Ohio) in the 1960s before being drafted by the Denver Broncos. Errol died in June 2022. Ka- houn's other grandfather, Pete Bodine, played football at Purdue. His sister, Gracie, is on the Pittsburgh women's lacrosse team, and his father, Craig, played lacrosse at Butler University and professionally for the Rochester Rat- tlers. Kahoun plans to enroll at Notre Dame in the summer of 2024. ✦ Two-Sport Standout Joins Notre Dame's 2024 Class FILM ANALYSIS "Bodie Kahoun is a really good athlete, es- pecially as a lacrosse player. He brings some good skills. He's not a ready-made guy. I don't see him playing in 2024, especially with how they've recruited the last two years. Let him redshirt, see what he will do his sophomore spring. [Find out] if he's going to be a Mike, Will or vyper? He's going to be one of those three. "I wouldn't be surprised after a year with more film if he's a top-350 player at linebacker because he does run to the ball and has some good skill. If he ends up being in that range, you have a JD Bertrand-type of football player with the athleticism that he has. "He can run. He's not slow. He's not a stick in the mud. When you hear that buzzword 'versa- tility,' he will play one of those Marcus Freeman, 3-3 [defense] hybrids, meaning Mike, Will, vyper." — Blue & Gold Illustrated analyst Tim Hyde COMMITMENT PROFILE BODIE KAHOUN Kahoun originally committed to the Ohio State lacrosse program in September 2022 before joining the Notre Dame football team this summer. On3 lists him as the No. 47 linebacker in the nation. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM "I have the opportunity to do both and might pursue it, but we have to sit down and see how hard it truly would be. Playing two hard- contact sports wouldn't be easy, especially at the University of Notre Dame, where they're both top-tier — and you have the academics." KAHOUN ON THE POTENTIAL OF ALSO PLAYING LACROSSE AT NOTRE DAME