Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER K yngstonn Viliamu-Asa's high school career was nothing short of sensa- tional. He was a huge part of leading St. John Bosco — a powerhouse program located in Bellflower, Calif. — to a California Inter- scholastic Federation Open Division state title as a junior in 2022. His career statistics are unreal when considering he missed his entire soph- omore year because of an ACL injury. Viliamu-Asa totaled 253 tackles with 110 solo hits, 22.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 2 interceptions (returning both for touchdowns) from his inside linebacker position. For his senior season, Viliamu-Asa posted 114 tackles (56 solo), 13.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception and 3 pass breakups across 13 games. "I feel like I had a great senior season," Viliamu-Asa said. "It didn't end the way I was hoping it would, but I'm proud of my team and what we were able to accom- plish. I'm excited to see what they can do next year." Viliamu-Asa, a four-star linebacker from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, was named the MaxPreps California High School Football Player of the Year as a senior and also played in the 2024 All-American Bowl. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA LINEBACKER 6-3 ∙ 233 ST. JOHN BOSCO H.S. INLAND EMPIRE, CALIF. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 83 6 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 75 5 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 19 2 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 42 4 4 STATISTICS • Finished his prep career with 253 tackles (110 solo), 22.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and 2 intercep- tions (both were returned for touchdowns). • Posted 114 tackles (56 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception and 3 passes broken up as a senior. Added 3 catches for 37 yards and 3 touch- downs on offense. • During his junior campaign compiled 111 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and 1 interception, while helping St. John Bosco to a 13-1 record and the CIF Open Division state title. The program was also tabbed as the high school national champion by MaxPreps. • Missed the 2021 fall season because of an ACL injury that occurred in St. John Bosco's final spring game of the 2021 COVID-19 make-up season. NOTABLE • Played in the 2024 All-American Bowl for the victorious West squad. • Also received an invitation to the 2024 Polynesian Bowl and was selected for the 2023 MaxPreps High School Football All-America first-team. • Tabbed as a finalist for the 2023 Butkus Award, which is presented to the top high school linebacker in the country. • Named the MaxPreps California High School Football Player of the Year, the Cal-Hi Sports State Defensive Player of the Year, SBLive's California De- fensive Player of the Year, the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year, the Long Beach Press-Telegram Defensive Player of the Year and the Trinity League Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. • Received MaxPreps High School Football Junior All-America first-team honors, Southern Section All- CIF Defensive Player of the Year recognition and Cali- fornia Interscholastic Federation Defensive Player of the Year accolades in 2022. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on July 23, 2023. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Picked the Irish over Ohio State, USC and many others. • Recruited by defensive line coach Al Washington and defensive coordinator Al Golden. • Visited Notre Dame six times, including his official visit on June 16, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Has a real chance to be a starter at linebacker as a true freshman. It would be a surprise if he redshirted this fall. THEY SAID IT Head coach Marcus Freeman: "He's probably the most, I would say right now, college-ready recruit we have — physically, mentally. He comes from an unbelievable program at St. John Bosco, and he's so mature. I always say, 'He's like a grown man.' "As a football player, he is a physical tackler, physi- cal block destructor. There are a lot of traits that he has that make him one of the highest recruited linebackers in the country. Getting him here early will give him a chance to compete right away." St. John Bosco head coach Jason Negro (via the Los Angeles Times): "He's one of the best football players in my 21 years as a head coach. His intel- ligence is the No. 1 thing. His ability to understand the position and his relentless pursuit to the foot- ball is beyond my imagination how someone can play that well." On3 national scout Cody Bellaire: "The All-Amer- ican Bowl was the perfect setting to see just how comfortable and functional in space he could really be while being on the field with top-tier athletes. On Day 1, Viliamu-Asa lived up to his billing as a dominant downhill player. Despite the practice not being padded, he played violently and was extremely disruptive between the tackles. "As the week progressed, he continued to flash dominance in the run game, consistently beat- ing offensive linemen to their spots and bring- ing down ball carriers in the backfield. The Notre Dame signee is a big-time linebacker between the hashes." California Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa Has Star Potential