‘27 NJ OT Oluwasemilore Olubobola (Notre Dame Verbal)

[2013Irish]

The vibes are kind of weird here ngl.

 

[BoredIrish]

I think we need to pump the brakes a bit on the notion that ND came out of nowhere with a big bag. The only reason we thought ND didnt have a good chance all along was because the ND beat was telling us that they didnt. Now the beat has to spin a story about a drastic change in thinking to spin their previous story.

It could be that he wanted to be at ND all along and just never bothered to tell anyone.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

I think we need to pump the brakes a bit on the notion that ND came out of nowhere with a big bag. The only reason we thought ND didnt have a good chance all along was because the ND beat was telling us that they didnt. Now the beat has to spin a story about a drastic change in thinking to spin their previous story.

It could be that he wanted to be at ND all along and just never bothered to tell anyone.

Well that could be but all evidence points to ND ponying up big money to jump at the front of the line.

 

[greyhammer90]

The vibes are kind of weird here ngl.

The only reason I'm confused is because I don't know how we can pay an incoming freshman that's not expected to immediately contribute a million dollars annually. I'm not objecting to it, but it feels like either the amount being paid to Olu is exagerated or Notre Dame is going much bigger on team salary than reported. Even if we account for certain players earning much less and assume this a 50 million dollar team, the math is hard to figure if your second string OTs are making that kind of scratch.

 

[arrowryan]

The NIL era is set up perfectly for Notre Dame to succeed and dominate. They have more money than they know what to do with. Investing lots of money in a program that makes you even more money is a smart idea.

 

[MeanGreenBeans]

The vibes are kind of weird here ngl.

Why?

 

[NorthDakota]

The NIL era is set up perfectly for Notre Dame to succeed and dominate. They have more money than they know what to do with. Investing lots of money in a program that makes you even more money is a smart idea.

I go back and forth on it. ND has no shortage of money floating around but so do plenty of others.

 

[IrishInOntario]

I think we need to pump the brakes a bit on the notion that ND came out of nowhere with a big bag. The only reason we thought ND didnt have a good chance all along was because the ND beat was telling us that they didnt. Now the beat has to spin a story about a drastic change in thinking to spin their previous story.

It could be that he wanted to be at ND all along and just never bothered to tell anyone.

It's more likely that he had 3 schools that he liked in Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Miami and was comfortable with all three after visiting. Both Miami and Texas A&M have made serious NIL investment in other OL prospects this cycle and both are still chasing Mark Matthews. As a result, all three schools made similar NIL offers (below the agent's asking price) and were competing for Olu via traditional recruiting means. Notre Dame looked at their finances, chose to save some money elsewhere (the difference in cost between Jaxon Dollar and Titus Hawk for example) and were able to repurpose their funds to up their offer for Olu, meeting the price point he was asking.

As a result, ND won out.

If I had to bet, I would guess that's most likely what happened. He liked ND and was comfortable at the school. The Irish were then able to pay him and got the deal done.

Nothing wrong with this at all. Good business transaction for both... Close the deal on Von Brandt and a two year haul of Mckeough, Von Brandt and Olubobola completely restocks the the cupboard at OT. Halter could easily play RT as well if need be.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Pre NIL we had zero chance at a championship. Now our chances are almost limitless. I prefer paying the players.

 

[arrowryan]

I go back and forth on it. ND has no shortage of money floating around but so do plenty of others.

I’m sure there are. But I’m not going to lose sleep because Notre Dame is choosing to pay a backup tackle $1M lol. The school has probably made more than $1M in the time it took me to type this.

 

[NDFAN2008]

The NIL era is set up perfectly for Notre Dame to succeed and dominate. They have more money than they know what to do with. Investing lots of money in a program that makes you even more money is a smart idea.

Also more and more money is coming in as long as Freeman is coach

 

[Domina Nostra]

I go back and forth on it. ND has no shortage of money floating around but so do plenty of others.

Notre Dame isn’t really willing to cheat the same way the SEC schools were, so bringing the money above the table helps for sure.

 

[arrowryan]

Prister compared him to Wagner. If Wagner was 20-30 pounds heavier and better at football, I would agree.

 

[NDPhilly]

He's already 280/290+ at 6'6". He's a sure thing to be 310+ within a few years, which Aamil never touched at ND.

 

[tirishman505]

This article is indicative of what I've been pounding the table and telling the board (to the annoyance of many) for months. It's not all about the money in every recruitment, but the money is a major factor in most recruitments at this point. That's especially true of the highly coveted, top of the board guys. These kids and their agents know where they're ranked. They also know how in demand they are for the programs across the country. They can love your campus. They can love the education you offer. They can can fit in with the team and really connect with the coaches. They can believe in what you're building... But for many of them, if you're not willing to meet the minimum threshold of their NIL demands, they're simply not signing with your school.

This is quasi-professional football now.

Totally agree with this. But there will be a reaction to this dynamic, namely these top of the board guys need to justify their recruiting price in Year 1 or they are in for a massive haircut (we've seen some of this already). Over the years coaches and agents will be totally used to this dynamic, it'll just be business as usual. But every recruit is going through this for the first time. Going from "name my price" to "i'm only getting how much" in a year will be difficult for most to deal with.

 

[KPENN]

Prister compared him to Wagner. If Wagner was 20-30 pounds heavier and better at football, I would agree.

Black 6’6” OT. Close enough

 

[arrowryan]

He's already 280/290+ at 6'6". He's a sure thing to be 310+ within a few years, which Aamil never touched at ND.

Comparing a 5 star OT to a UDFA is a choice. I liked Wagner, but he had his issues and there was a reason why the staff said thanks but no thanks.

 

[arrowryan]

Black 6’6” OT. Close enough

Pretty much.

“Who’s a recent black offensive tackle that also played at Notre Dame that I could compare him to?”- Prister, probably.

 

[arrowryan]

It basically took Wagner 4 years in a major college football weight room to touch 300 pounds.

 

[NDPhilly]

i also think the even “300” on the ND website for Aamil was a lie. Probably played closer to 290.

Aamil Wagner

fightingirish.com

 

[GrangerIrish24]

My head keeps going here when I see Olu Olu

 

[Ricochet]

Wagner will be an all time enigma because he's insanely strong, athletic with long arms but his build made him easier to move.

 

[arrowryan]

I never viewed Wagner the same after I watched him get punked by Reuben Bain for 4 hours in primetime

 

[Dale]

Wagners got the ass of a basketball player not football player

 

[IrishInOntario]

Prister compared him to Wagner. If Wagner was 20-30 pounds heavier and better at football, I would agree.

Heard him say that today and thought it was among the laziest comps I can remember him offering... Olu is much closer to a Ronnie Stanley level prospect than Aamil Wagner. He's going to be well over 300lbs. He has excellent feet. He's just raw and will need a year in the system to develop his technique.

Prister is not good at player comps or evals. I'd pretty much ignore them lol.

 

[jason_h537]

Heard him say that today and thought it was among the laziest comps I can remember him offering... Olu is much closer to a Ronnie Stanley level prospect than Aamil Wagner. He's going to be well over 300lbs. He has excellent feet. He's just raw and will need a year in the system to develop his technique.

Prister is not good at player comps or evals. I'd pretty much ignore them lol.

I am listening to it right now and basically what Prister is saying is that, like Wagner, Olu is more of an athlete than a true tackle. He will still need to learn the position and will likely need time before he is ready to play.

He is not talking about the size. It is like all you guys heard was Aamil Wagner and the stopped listening.

This is a constant thing in this sub. Where you guys hear something a reporter says and interpret into the craziest ways. He is not discussing size here so why are you all harping on about how small Wagner was?

What caught my ear more was the Miami thing. But I guess no one wants to talk about that?

 

[arrowryan]

I am listening to it right now and basically what Prister is saying is that, like Wagner, Olu is more of an athlete than a true tackle. He will still need to learn the position and will likely need time before he is ready to play.

He is not talking about the size. It is like all you guys heard was Aamil Wagner and the stopped listening.

This is a constant thing in this sub. Where you guys hear something a reporter says and interpret into the craziest ways. He is not discussing size here so why are you all harping on about how small Wagner was?

What caught my ear more was the Miami thing. But I guess no one wants to talk about that?

Loy and Wiltfong have continued to say they like ND here. When they say that, it’s usually a done deal.

 

[MeanGreenBeans]

I am listening to it right now and basically what Prister is saying is that, like Wagner, Olu is more of an athlete than a true tackle. He will still need to learn the position and will likely need time before he is ready to play.

He is not talking about the size. It is like all you guys heard was Aamil Wagner and the stopped listening.

This is a constant thing in this sub. Where you guys hear something a reporter says and interpret into the craziest ways. He is not discussing size here so why are you all harping on about how small Wagner was?

What caught my ear more was the Miami thing. But I guess no one wants to talk about that?

What Miami thing?

 

[allenm5333]

What Miami thing?

Prister twice said Miami is kind of lurking. I have no doubt they are deciding if they should abandon their Matthews pursuit. But I also can see Prister being overly cautious bc recruiting ptsd

 

[MeanGreenBeans]

Prister twice said Miami is kind of lurking. I have no doubt they are deciding if they should abandon their Matthews pursuit. But I also can see Prister being overly cautious bc recruiting ptsd

Kind of lurking? He's a goddamn 5 star recruit... Of course some other team is lurking Prister. The hedging of bets like this is so chickenshit. Just say "I'd be shocked if it's anyone but ND" and be done with your prediction.