Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 SEPT. 19, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER L atish Kinsler chuckled and agreed during a phone interview when Blue & Gold Illustrated mentioned how Notre Dame came out of nowhere to land Oluwasemilore Olubobola, whom Kinsler represents through LifeStyle Sports Agency. Notre Dame offered the class of 2027 offensive tackle out of Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep a scholarship March 19, and less than two months later, he was on the Irish commit list. Other pro- grams he closely considered had offered him about a year before Notre Dame did. During the contact period in January, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was going to make a stop in New Jersey to visit with Olubobola, and the expecta- tion was that he would offer the elite tal- ent. But storms across the country forced Freeman to cancel the visit, and he instead spent a chunk of time recruiting in South Florida, where the weather was favorable. Even if Notre Dame had offered in January, it still would have been play- ing catch-up with other programs. The thought was that delivering the offer in person during a visit with the Olubobola family would have helped the Irish make a move. But without the visit, Notre Dame didn't end up offering at that point. However, because of Kinsler's rela- tionships with the Notre Dame staff, he assured them that his five-star client had interest in the program and that it wasn't too late to offer him. "I told them that both St. Peter's Prep and Notre Dame are rooted in empha- sizing faith, service, integrity, brother- hood and developing young men who use their gifts to positively impact oth- ers," Kinsler told Blue & Gold Illustrated. Kinsler, a New Jersey native, rep- resents many athletes from his home state, including Fighting Irish wide re- ceiver Quincy Porter, who transferred from Ohio State to Notre Dame in the winter. Kinsler formed a strong connec- tion with Notre Dame general manager Mike Martin during that process, and he knew Irish personnel department staff- ers DJ Bryant and Kenny Sanders from their time at Penn State. Notre Dame reengaged with Olubob- ola in March. "They were letting me know that they also had genuine interest, and [offensive line coach] Joe Rudolph spoke to Olu to start the dialogue, but Notre Dame wasn't a major consideration at that time," Kinsler said. Olubobola — the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 18 overall prospect in America per the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking — first visited Notre Dame for the Blue-Gold Game in April. Going into the visit, the Irish weren't a top contender, but that quickly changed. "Notre Dame came into the equation as a real possibility during his spring game visit," Kinsler explained. "We were able to assess the program, and he got to spend time with Coach Free- man. It checked the boxes of what Olu is looking for in a program." The initial plan was for Kinsler to take Olubobola on all unofficial visits, and when official visit season came around, Olubobola's parents would join them on those trips. However, as is often the case with recruiting, plans changed and his recruitment accelerated. Notre Dame soared up Olubobola's list after the Blue-Gold Game visit, and the Irish staff made an even bigger move when they started having Zoom meetings with his parents. Olubobola's mother, Oluwatobi, and father, Oludare, who are of Nigerian descent, strongly valued academics, so Notre Dame stood out, as did the staff's 4-for-40 pitch. "The NIL side wasn't a big factor for them; the education was first and fore- most for them," Kinsler said. "Once we had calls with Coach Freeman, Mike Martin and the entire staff, the fam- ily really identified with and gravitated toward Notre Dame. "Notre Dame really resonated with Olu's parents." For months, Olubobola reportedly had Miami and Texas A&M atop his list. But those programs weren't his only fa- vorites. Kinsler and Olubobola made sure they had other viable options. Ne- braska, Notre Dame and Rutgers were still very much on the table. "We wanted to cast a net so that we didn't miss out on other programs as well," Kinsler said. "Everyone in the media was talking about Miami and Texas A&M. One day I'd see a report in the media that Olu was going to Miami; the next day it'd be A&M. Those weren't things that we had finalized, though." Notre Dame went from an after- thought to the leading program in a matter of a few weeks; the key was win- ning over Olubobola's family. "Getting them to be comfortable and sign off on it was extremely important," Kinsler said. "The spiritual aspect of the university also helped differentiate Notre Dame from the other finalists. It set them apart." Olubobola pledged to the Fighting Irish May 12. He and his family offi- cially visited Notre Dame the following month, and his commitment to the Irish remains strong. He will enroll early at Notre Dame in January 2027. ✦ F O O T B A L L RECRUITING Inside Notre Dame's Stunning Recruiting Win Of Five-Star Offensive Tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola Olubobola, the No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 18 overall player nationally per the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking, was thought to be headed to Miami or Texas A&M but instead was won over by what Notre Dame had to offer. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY