Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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programs in the country, including Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Michigan and Michigan State. Michigan and in-state Rutgers — which was the first college to offer the brothers a scholarship — were the other finalists for the twins' services, Justin said. Both are close friends with Michigan freshman defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the No. 1 player in the class of 2016 who played at Paramus (N.J.) Catholic and trains in the offseason with the Ademilolas. Finding a place that wanted both of them was important, they both said. "If it happened, it happened," Jus- tin said. "We both wanted to play with each other, but we weren't go- ing to make that the only reason. We wanted a program that wanted both of us. … It wasn't a package deal, none of that." "It just happened. My brother felt like it was the best fit for him, and it was the best fit for me," Jayson said. "Getting to play with my brother at the next level is super big for me. "Once we both got that opportu- nity to play with each other, it was like a done deal. We both fell in love with the school, and we both felt like it was the best fit for us on and off the field." Significant physical gains, Justin said, have been made by the brothers while working out this summer at The Lab Football Academy, a facility run by Peter Kafaf, Gary's mentor and trainer. "Last season I had an OK season, but this season is going to be my breakout season with my hands and my movement," Justin said. Jayson said he's barely recogniz- able from his 2015 season. "If you look at my last year's tape, nothing compares to me now," Jay- son said. "My brother and I have im- proved our games extremely in the offseason — our flexibility, our move- ment, our hands. I still have to im- prove my hands, my speed, my hips. "I went to a few camps, and I'm a whole different person from last season." The Ademilolas will open their prep season on the international stage. St. Peter's will travel to Ireland on Labor Day weekend to partake in the American Football Showcase and play Blessed Trinity out of Roswell, Ga. The games will be played in con- junction with the Boston College ver- sus Georgia Tech contest, scheduled for Sept. 2. But the twins won't have to worry about impressing college coaches while on the trip. "It's a good feeling," Justin said of being committed. "Now I'm focused on one program, on Notre Dame, and I get to work every day to better my- self and get ready to play there." The competition between the brothers extends to almost every- thing they do. Whether that's in the classroom — "Sometimes we're in the same class going at it with our grades," Jayson said — on the field or on the wrestling mat, the Ademilolas are always competing. "During practice if I'm out with my brother and I look at him and he's giving 100, I have to give 100," Jayson said. ✦