Tag: Aamil Wagner

247Sports: Notre Dame in the mix for nations top 2023 offensive tackle

If Freeman and Hiestand pull this one off…. WOW

For many years the Irish held the mantle of [autotag]O-Line U[/autotag] and although recently there has been a slight lull in production, they could very well be taking back the title. On the current roster, three offensive linemen, tackles [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag] along with center [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag] will be drafted high when they declare to the NFL.

Of the 2022 recruiting class, [autotag]Billy Schrauth[/autotag], [autotag]Joey Tanona[/autotag], [autotag]Ty Chan[/autotag] and [autotag]Aamil Wagner[/autotag] were some of the most highly thought of signees, each of them will start their careers on the o-line as well. The 2023 class already has commitments from [autotag]Sullivan Absher[/autotag] and [autotag]Sam Pendleton[/autotag], but [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is still looking for the headliner of the offensive line.

Enter Massachusetts’ [autotag]Samson Okunlola[/autotag], a six-foot-six-inch and 295-pound future star. He’s viewed as a five-star prospect and 247Sports Brian Dohn believes that the Irish are one of the few teams that realistically have a shot at landing Okunlola’s eventual signature.

It won’t be easy for returning offensive line coach [autotag]Harry Hiestand[/autotag], as Penn State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, and Pittsburgh were also mentioned as potential destinations for Okunlola as well.

Dohn, however gives the Irish a fighting chance, due to “the academics, the idea of what the degree means on a national level after graduation and playing at a prestigious school are all things that could resonate” with the mammoth tackle. What isn’t in the Irish’s favor however was that Okunlola has very to visit South Bend and didn’t stop by during his spring visit to the Midwest.

As Dohn mentions that Okunlola will take visits later in the year and most likely very few will be during the season due to his high school playing all their games on Saturday’s. Either way, Freeman and Hiestand are in for quite a battle for the tackles eventual signature, but one where they currently are seen as having a legit shot at.

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Where the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class ranked according to the experts

It was a solid “first” cycle for Freeman

It was once called Christmas in February, when there was not an early signing period in college football. When it first started, no one really knew what to expect, but after the first one in 2017, the precedence was set.

The majority of athletes would go on to sign in December, making the first Wednesday in February not nearly as exciting. That was exactly the case for Notre Dame, who entered the day with 21 commits and will finish the day with the same number.

Even though there wasn’t much excitement, there Irish still finished among the top class in the county and here is where they ranked according to 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.

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Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Two Notre Dame commits make big jumps in Rivals 2022 rankings

The Irish once again have shown a keen eye for recruiting

With the final signing period just over a week away, many recruiting outlets are finalizing their rankings for the 2022 class. Rivals today published their final update and when looking back they had two Irish commits seriously under-rated.

First on their list that made a big leap was defense end Aiden Gobaira, who went from outside the top-200 to firmly inside the top-100 at 82nd overall in the country. It wasn’t what Gobaira did during the season, it was his impressive all-star circuit that prompted the rise. “Gobaira hadn’t played against elite college prospects in the past but really performed well at the All-American Bowl and in the practices that week,” noted Adam Friedman, Rivals’ national recruiting analyst.

The other Notre Dame commit to make a move north was offensive lineman Aamil Wagner. The Ohio native went from 196th nationally all the way up to 124th, a jump of 72 spots. Friedman thinks that Wagner will be more of a project but “has the potential to be a multi-year starter for the Fighting Irish if he can add the necessary mass to his frame.” Remember the last “project” offensive lineman the Irish recently added to their roster? Well, Joe Alt was one of the best true-freshman in the country regardless of position.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Four Notre Dame commits to play in Polynesian Bowl

Want to watch the future of the football program?

Want to catch a glimpse at some of the Notre Dame stars of tomorrow? Was the All-American Bowl not enough for you? You’re in luck if you’re able to stay up late. The Polynesian Bowl will be played at 11:30 p.m. EST Saturday on the CBS Sports Network, and four recruits who have committed to Notre Dame are on the roster.

The four players to look out for are as follows:

  • Receiver Tobias Merriweather of Camas, Washington
  • Tight end Holden Staes of Atlanta
  • Linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka of Mission Hills, California
  • Offensive tackle Aamil Wagner of Dayton, Ohio

Notre Dame commits who previously have played in this game include Chris Tyree, Marist Liufau, Jayson Ademilola, Braden Lenzy and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. While making this game obviously is not a reflection of how they’ll play in college, it does make people excited about what the future of the program could be. If you’re curious about that or you simply want to watch more football, this is the game to tune into.

Notre Dame commitment card: Aamil Wagner

From the same high school as Marcus Freeman…

Notre Dame wasn’t able to hold onto every 2022 recruiting class commitment after the sudden departure of Brian Kelly from the program just a few short weeks ago but they held onto the majority as the early signing period began on Wednesday.

Notre Dame’s advanced media team knocked it out of the park with their videos of each player this year as cameos are made from former Notre Dame star football players, professional wrestlers, reality TV personalities, and plenty more before Marcus Freeman ultimately delivers the good news for Irish fans.

Here are some fast-facts about offensive lineman Aamil Wagner, who was the seventh Notre Dame player to send his national letter of intent in on Wednesday:

Name: Aamil Wagner
Position:  Offensive Tackle
High School: Wayne (Dayton, Ohio)
Size: 6-6, 265-pounds
Stars: Four-star on both 247Sports and Rivals
Original Commitment Date: November 11, 2021

Related:  Notre Dame football 2022 recruiting class tracker

Notre Dame football signee tracker: Who has officially joined the 2022 class

Check back for more updates on the Notre Dame signees

Today is the day when the majority of prospects from the 2022 class will make their final decisions on what school they will attend this coming fall. The Irish head into the early signing period with a Top-10 class and most likely some expected drama. Take a look below for the players who have sent their signatures to South Bend and officially joined the Notre Dame football team. (This will be updated as the day goes on.)

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Scouts view: Newest Notre Dame commit OL Aamil Wagner

Wagner has ton’s of potential

The Irish made yet another addition to their 2022 recruiting class, going into the neighboring state of Ohio and picking up a verbal commitment from offensive lineman Aamil Wagner.

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Wagner become the 22nd commitment in a class that is viewed as one of the tops in the country. He joins an offensive line group that includes Ty Chan, Joey Tanona and Ashton Craig.

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It a group that has the potential to see one more addition, but that remains to be seen. Wagner is a fantastic prospect, one that has offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, Iowa, Michigan and others. Here is my scouts view of what to expect from Wagner when he arrives on campus for next season.

The long and athletic lineman is an absolute monster as a run blocker, Wagner has quick feet that he uses to drive defenders off the ball and away from the play. His long arms come into play in the pass game also, keeping edge rushers away from getting to his quarterback. Wagner does need to work a bit on his pass protection footwork, but with better coaching that will come.

What really stands out his his nasty demeanor on the field, Wagner looks for and initiates contact and it ends up as many pancakes for the lineman. It might take a redshirt year for Wagner to be ready to make a difference for the Irish, but when he does, he will be yet another excellent lineman that suits up in the Blue and Gold.

Notre Dame lands another four-star offensive lineman

Did you expect this one?

Notre Dame has landed the 22nd commitment in their 2022 recruiting class as offensive tackle Aamil Wagner of Wayne High School in Dayton, Ohio announced his pledge on Thursday.

Wagner is listed at 6-6, 265-pounds and chose Notre Dame from the over-25 scholarship offers he received.  Among those were Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Northwestern, and plenty of others.

Also on that list was the University of Kentucky where Wagner’s brother is a graduate assistant.

Wagner is listed as a four-star prospect on both 247Sports and Rivals.  247Sports lists him as the 11th best offensive tackle prospect in this recruiting cycle while Rivals has him 23rd.

Wagner shared with 247Sports why he chose Notre Dame:

“I choose Notre Dame because the coaches made the university feel like home and I felt that Notre Dame can not only provide me with a great football career but can put me in the best position for life after football” – Aamil Wagner

Wagner becomes the fourth Notre Dame offensive line commitment in the 2022 class, joining Ashton Craig, Ty Chan, and Joey Tanona, all of which also have four-star ratings.

Offensive line coach Jeff Quinn deserves credit for pulling in this commitment as the Irish.  It’s also worth noting that Wagner attends the same high school that Notre Dame assistant coaches Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens attended so even they coach the other side of the ball, I’d imagine that connection didn’t hurt, either.

This is a huge commitment that feels like when you find a fifty dollar bill in a pair of dress pants you hadn’t worn in years.

Related:

Meet all 22 commitments in Notre Dame’s current 2022 recruiting class

See it – Notre Dame’s map to a College Football Playoff berth

Notre Dame among finalists for elite Ohio offensive tackle

Highlighting 5 top Ohio high school football recruit performances

Here is a glimpse of how the top high school prospects in Ohio played.

All though we are still waiting anxiously for the Ohio State football team to kick off its football season, Ohio high schools around the state have at least broken the seal, and we wanted to provide a breakdown on how some of the top prospects have played.

If you follow us here at Buckeyes Wire you know how much we love Gabe Powers, but unfortunately, Marysville High School does not kick off their season until next week. There is still a ton of exciting talent and we will highlight where the prospect is currently committed as well.

Here are some of the most notable performances from Friday under the lights in the great state of Ohio.

Notre Dame Recruiting update: More commits, lots of new offers and more

The Irish gained multiple commits, lost one and a lot of new offers out to players in the 2022 class in this Notre Dame recruiting update.

Since out last update the Irish have added linebacker Kahanu Kia, offensive tackle Caleb Johnson, and defensive back JoJo Johnson. Just today Notre Dame lost a commit from defensive end David Abiara so there was some bad news with plenty of good news. There were a lot of new offers out as well on the recruiting trail for the Irish, so continue reading to get the latest update on Notre Dame Football recruiting.