analyst Adam Friedman believes that
the younger sibling has more potential
than his older brother and is a different
type of player.
"I think he's a little more agile than
his brother, with his brother being a
little more disciplined," Friedman said.
"Julian played a little more linebacker
last year, and that's where I thought he
would originally want to play, but he's
a great edge rusher and one of those
hybrid outside-linebacker defensive end
types.
"He's going to need to add a lot of
weight before he can contribute as a full-
time defensive end, but I really like his
athleticism."
Notre Dame is likely to take two or
three pass-rushing ends this recruiting
cycle, and Okwara is the type of talent
that the staff wants to sign. He regis-
tered 90 tackles and 10 sacks as a junior
for an Ardrey Kell squad that went 10-4
and made the third round of the Class
4AA state playoffs in North Carolina.
"I can bring a lot of tempo and a lot
hits to the defense," Okwara said. "Just
getting to the quarterback and making
plays — a lot of stuff like that."
While Romeo was just 16 years old
when he signed with Notre Dame out
of Ardrey Kell, Julian is currently 17 and
will be 18 by next spring. That mean's
there's a chance that he could enroll
early and get a jump-start on his college
career while adjusting to his surround-
ings in South Bend.
"I might graduate on time, but I'm
thinking about early enrolling," he said.
"I want to study business. I looked the
school up online, and it's the No. 10
business school.
"I just felt like this decision was the
right thing for me." ✦
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