Tag: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

2020 Virtual Notre Dame Football Cards: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Linebacker

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah’s nine tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss and forced fumble in the Camping World Bowl win over Iowa State landed him a spot on ESPN’s 2019/20 All-Bowl Team.

2020 Notre Dame Football Player Cards

Remember how great football cards were when you were a kid?  So do we!  We unfortunately can’t print out a bunch of pictures on cardboard and send them to all of you but we have the next best thing, virtual player cards for the 2020 Notre Dame football team!  Here you’ll find all the information, stats, facts and in some cases a photo gallery and/or highlights of all of your favorite Notre Dame players ahead of the 2020 season.  Check it out as we build the complete team set throughout July!

Card number four in the series belongs to one of the returning stars of the defense, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Next: Information and Stats

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This past week in Notre Dame Twitter

Take a look at the best Irish tweets from the week.

Going forward, we at Irish Wire will bring you the best of what we saw during the week on Twitter every Sunday. Hope you enjoy!

Irish 2021 defensive tackle commit Gabe Rubio getting some work in:

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly preaching the team’s new motto:

Great qualifications for associate head coach Mike Elston:

Happy birthday to transfer wide receiver Bennett Skowronek:

Recently drafted Notre Dame pitcher Joe Boyle signs his contract with the Cincinnati Reds:

Notre Dame hockey shows off its sweet helmets:

The hype for Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah continues:

Notre Dame’s Most Exciting Player

ESPN named the most exciting player on their top 25 teams entering the 2020 college football season. Do you agree with their choice for NDs?

When you look at Notre Dame football in 2020 what player are you most excited to watch?

Some may go the easy route and say the quarterback, Ian Book, who hopefully goes from good to great in his fifth year on campus.

Many would probably go the route of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who is getting national pre-season All-American love.

ESPN weighed in on the question and offered the following on a budding superstar in Notre Dame’s secondary…

Safety Kyle Hamilton, Sophomore:

Let’s give the defense a little love here, too.  In his freshman season, safety Hamilton had four interceptions, six pass breakups and 41 total tackles.  He’s quickly become a name everyone was talking about and now, going into the 2020 season, Hamilton is primed to be one of the best safeties in the country in only his second season. He can make a big play at any time, brought some excitement to Notre Dame’s defense last season and should do much of the same this season.

Hamilton made his impact known right away last year, getting big-time minutes against Louisville in the opener.  My personal favorite game of Hamilton’s was the USC game where the defensive game plan was clearly built around his discipline as he allowed nothing behind him.

Now as a sophomore can Hamilton handle the pressure of being the experienced member of Notre Dame’s secondary that lost so much from a year ago?  Grad-transfer help with experience elsewhere will be there but make no mistake, he’s without question the guy in this secondary entering 2020.

I’d make a case for Owusu-Koramoah as the most exciting player on this roster but ultimately I agree with ESPN’s assessment on it and would give the nod to Hamilton as the most exciting, based off consistency.

Owusu-Koramoah Named to Lott Impact Trophy Watch List

Another pre-season accolade for Notre Dame star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

There continues to be considerable hype for one of Notre Dame’s breakout defenders from last year, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. We have been keeping track of some of  said hype here, and here as well.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvWsIbQAkYY&w=560&h=315]

Adding more hype to Owusu-Koramoah for the 2020 season as he was named on the Lott Impact Trophy watch list. Of the 42 total athletes on the list, there are 16 linebackers, 15 defensive backs and 11 defensive linemen. The last time a Notre Dame defender won the Lott Trophy was in 2012 when linebacker Manti Te’o brought to award back to South Bend.

The Lott Trophy mentions Owusu-Koramoah’s versatility as he “can play multiple positions on defense,” in their short write up of the Irish star. Seeing his name on this list shouldn’t be surprising at all and his company is extremely impressive. Owusu-Koramoah should see his name on other watch-lists heading into the season, as the excitement for the senior to have a massive year is building.

ESPN’s McShay Updates ’21 NFL Draft Board, Irish Prospect Makes the List

There was one Notre Dame player listed as a top NFL draft prospect after he exploded on the scene last year.

The NFL Draft brought many fans a piece of sports back into their lives a little over a month ago and ESPN’s Todd McShay is already look ahead to the 2021 edition. He has released his NFL Draft rankings and the Irish were represented with fourth-year junior defensive end Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah checking in as the 17th best prospect (insider article).

McShay is enamored with Owusu-Koramoah as he “was an impact player for the Fighting Irish last season. I love everything about his tape. He is fast, he is instinctive and he is only getting stronger as he develops.”

Owusu-Koramoah blew up last year, totaling 80 tackles with 5.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 2 recoveries along with 4 passes defended. After two years sitting behind Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill and learning, Owusu-Koramoah honed his craft and just kept working. The time paid off making a big impact on defense and creating a hype train for the 2020 season.

Coming out of high school in Virginia Owusu-Koramoah was seen as an athlete which might be the reason he was just the 456th ranked player in the nation according to the 247Sports composite. He wasn’t highly recruited, the best two other offers Owusu-Koramoah had were Michigan State and Virginia. You have to give credit to defensive coordinator Clark Lea, as he identified the talent and developed Owusu-Koramoah into a potential first round draft pick. I expect a huge season from the talented linebacker and Owusu-Koramoah should be hearing his name called early in next years draft if he declares.

Irish Overrated? CBS Gives Thoughts on Notre Dame’s ’20 Season Outlook

In a season series preview, CBS Sports looks at what is in store for the Irish this season.

The fact that Brian Kelly seems to falter against top teams is fair, since 2010 he has led the Irish to a 21-20 record in Top 25 matchups. So, Ben Kercheval’s assessment of that portion of the program is accurate, but that is in the past, this is about what is in store for the Irish in 2020.

There were multiple high-level players who left the Notre Dame program since it’s win over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl just a few months ago. Kercheval feels like the biggest losses include TE Cole Kmet, WR Chase Claypool, RB Tony Jones Jr. and DE Julian Okwara. Each of them have brought their talents to the NFL.

What’s interesting is the fact that Kercheval mentions the firing of Offensive Coordinator Chip Long as a loss. Long was replaced by Tommy Rees prior to the bowl win, was seen as a excellent recruiter, but Kelly couldn’t mesh well with his play calling, especially in the aforementioned top matchups. While the offense under Rees was fantastic in Irish wins, averaging 38 points, the fact that Long couldn’t get more, 13.5 points per game, in losses irked Kelly and let to a change. The jury is still out on Rees, this season will be a big test for the first full year as offensive coordinator for the former Irish QB.

We all know about the returning Notre Dame stars, Kercheval sees QB Ian Book, OT Tommy Kraemer and WR Braden Lenzy as the offenses top returning playmakers. Pretty interesting that the other starting tackle, Liam Eichenberg isn’t mentioned, but Lenzy to me is the key. The leading returning receiver had just 11 catches last year, a number that will surely see a rise this coming season. The rising junior needs to break out for the Irish offense.

Defensively CB TaRiq Bracy and DE Daelin Hayes will be the key assets according to Kercheval. I think he didn’t pick the right players as Notre Dame’s key returning defenders. Safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would have been my choices. It’s not a knock on Bracy and Hayes, they’re great players in their own right, I just believe that Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah will have larger impacts.

Rees was named a fresh face, along with Northwestern WR transfer Bennett Skowronek and incoming freshman RB Chris Tyree. Spot on with Tyree, as the newest face to the Irish running back room might be needed to contribute immediately. Skowronek was a captain for the Wildcats last year, bring leadership to a position group that will need it. There are plenty of others that could have ended up in these spots include transfers safety Isaiah Pryor and CB Nick McCloud or freshman TE Michael Mayer. Each of them could play big roles for the Irish in ’20.

Kercheval sees the floor as 9 wins for the Irish, otherwise disappointment will reign in South Bend. A favorable schedule should result in double digits wins, so Kelly’s streak of 3 straight 10-plus win seasons should extent to a 4th once the season is played.

When Notre Dame DC Lea Speaks, We Listen

Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea breaks down how he goes about coaching linebackers.

Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Clark Lea sat down with 247Sports Barton Simmons today and among the topics they discussed was what the Irish are looking for out of their linebacker’s.

In a common theme among the Irish coaching staff, Lea made sure that he reiterated what Brian Kelly preaches all the time, it’s not just about playing football in South Bend for the next 3-5 years, is a lifetime commitment. “These guys come to Notre Dame because they know about backup plans. We want guys that are so focused in every area, so prideful in excelling in all areas, that we really just get to pour into them as football players and make the four year experience the best we can make it.”

Lea also went in depth as to how the staff goes about the academic side of being a member of the Notre Dame Football team. “We want to make sure we have guys that are focused, that are task-orientated, that have the resilience to get done what needs to be done in the classroom, in study table, and in tutoring environments so that everything that we do in coaching them is centered around football.” My biggest take away is the resilience portion, as we all know in football there are going to be trying times at certain points in the season and having the ability to keep their focus and get the job done is paramount in life as well as football.

Lea also went on to talk about one of his star pupils, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and what stands out about the linebacker. “I went and watched him play basketball and the twitch was unbelievable. It wasn’t just the ability to jump, I’m watching him crossover dribble in warm-ups and just his head and shoulders, and the way he moved. It was so evident to me he had elite twitch, short area movement skill that through our system developing has only increased.” It seems as if Lea knew early on, Owusu-Koramoah had the skill set to dominate at this level.

It was a great insight in the defensive coordinators mind, and it shows why Lea is one of the best in the country. If he continues developing players like Owusu-Koramoah, school will be knocking at the door with head coaching offers soon. Hopefully, its not too soon.

Notre Dame Football Lands Two on 2021 CBS Big Board

CBS released their top 100 big board for the 2021 NFL Draft and on it you find two Notre Dame offensive linemen but nobody else from ND.

The NFL Draft came and went almost two weeks ago now and for those make their livings off the draft, evaluations for the 2021 version have already begun.  We’ll have a bit on that in the coming days no doubt I wanted to share with you the big board that CBS has put together.

Two Notre Dame players make the top 100 and it’s not a surprise to see either as offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg checks in at 38 and right guard Tommy Kraemer is rated 55.

Both are near elite in pass protection but not near the road-graders that we’ve seen in the run game compared to a few NFL stars that have played for Notre Dame in recent years.

For anyone who watched last year you saw an offensive line that struggled against the better opponents in run blocking, specifically Georgia and Michigan.

I’m again surprised that outside linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah isn’t on this list.  If you’re doing a mock of the first round or two, fine, I get it.  To not be included in the top 100 overall, though?

I know a players draft forecast isn’t solely based on production but in one year he was responsible for 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.  Sure, the pass rush game won’t offer as much help to him this year but it will also provide what should be a better chance to shine, too.

Can Eichenberg and Kraemer grow where their ability in the run game nears their ability in the pass game?  And can I buy draft stock in JOK right now?  I really want to invest in it because this is yet another draft production that is undervaluing a star level talent.

2021 NFL Draft – Any Notre Dame First Rounders?

I’m curious to see a year from now though if Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ends up being a day one pick.  Koramoah had 8.5 sacks last season, twice recording three or more in the same game, doing so against Virginia Tech and having another 3.5 against Iowa State.

It’s way too early to be talking about the 2021 NFL Draft outside of a couple of things.

The year long debate is on as to who the better quarterback prospect is between Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Justin Fields of Ohio State.  Lawrence enters as a slight favorite but not by nearly the amount he would have been viewed as a year ago.

What about Notre Dame?  Will the Fighting Irish see a player or two selected in the 2021 NFL Draft’s first round or will it be two straight seasons without a Notre Dame player getting their name called on day one?

Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports released his self-admitted too-early 2021 NFL Draft mock for the first round Monday.  In it he has Trevor Lawrence going first overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Justin Fields fourth to the Chicago Bears.

And to the Notre Dame question?

Left tackle Liam Eichenberg is the 16th player off his board as he has the offensive lineman headed to the New York Jets.

Looking around a couple sites today I’ve seen a few people throwing junk at the wall and hoping something sticks in terms of 2021 mock drafts.  They seem to think at this point Eichenberg is the best bet to be a day-one selection.  I don’t question that although I think his ability in the run game has a lot of catching up to do compared to his pass blocking.

I’m very curious to see a year from now though if Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ends up being a day one pick.  Koramoah had 8.5 sacks last season, twice recording three or more in the same game, doing so against Virginia Tech and having another 3.5 against Iowa State.

Well-respected draft analyst Todd McShay thought the same a little over a month ago when he was trying to evaluate a few Notre Dame players for the 2020 NFL Draft.

I don’t know where most experts have Koramoah slotted right now but if there is such a thing I’d like to get in now on his draft stock because a year from now I have a strong feeling it’s going to be a lot higher.

Notre Dame LB Owusu-Koramoah Named on ESPN Top 10 List

The hype train is boarding for Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and today more praise from the ESPN staff.

There is considerable hype surrounding Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for this upcoming season and rightfully so. After waiting two years to hit the field, Owusu-Koramoah was an absolute monster registering 8.5 sacks and 79 total tackles. We are tracking said hype and more came his way today as ESPN named Owusu-Koramoah one of the top 10 returning off-ball linebackers in the country.

The rising junior was 6th on the list, as ESPN used a combination of Pro Football Focus’ grades and win above average metric to comprise the rankings. Anthony Treash, who complied the list, noted that Owusu-Koramoah saw his play down the stretch improve, as PFF graded him out extremely well towards the end of the year.

Just a 3-Star prospect out of high school, Owusu-Koramoah didn’t have the elite offer list one would see out of a player with his impact. Brian Kelly and Clark Lea did a fantastic job identifying his talent and getting him on campus to coach up the linebacker. It’s evident the recruiting gurus and other coaching staffs evaluation was way off.

Owusu-Koramoah absolutely dominated Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl game, finishing with 3 sacks, 9 tackles, a forced fumble and recovery. Players always talk about using the bowl game to springboard into next year, and if Owusu-Koramoah does, the 2020 Irish opponents should be shaking in their cleats.