Owusu-Koramoah Ready For Any Challenge
The loss of Drue Tranquill and Te’Von Coney, many Irish fans expected the linebacker corps to take a step back this season. Additionally, the secondary needed bolstering after losing Julian Love to the NFL.
With Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame found the perfect player to help the team in both regards. 'JOK' has been a revelation at rover so far, and he already feels comfortable in his new position.
“It’s an amazing feeling to transition from being at home and not traveling to being hurt, and now playing, it’s a whole different world and mindset,” the 215-pound sophomore from Hampton, VA, spoke. “Even off the field, the academics are picking up, and having to focus on the game plan, combining the two together is a hard but beautiful challenge.”
Owusu-Koramoah tallied seven total tackles against Virginia, a team he was committed to early in his recruitment before switching his pledge to the Irish. Clearly, it was an emotional game for him playing against a coaching staff and roster he knew so well.
“You want to have the same mindset with every team, but with UVA, I was connected to all the coaches and players, which made it a different game,” he said. “It was personal, even though I’m the one who decommitted.”
The Hampton Roads region of Virginia is known for being talent-rich in football, spawning football stars such as Michael Vick, Kam Chancellor and Percy Harvin. According to Owusu-Koramoah, growing up in Hampton taught him the mindset necessary to succeed in the football world.
“Growing up in a really competitive area, you want to be the best,” Owusu-Koramoah explained. “That grinding, gritty mentality is always in the forefront of your mind. The rec leagues [in Hampton] are some of the most competitive leagues around, that’s where the players that were hungry were playing.”
Owusu-Koramoah recognizes the impact his teammates have had on his development, and some of those relationships started even before he enrolled at Notre Dame. Safety Jalen Elliott is also from the same region of Virginia and went to high school less than an hour from JOK’s high school.
“In the state championship basketball game when we lost to Jalen’s HS, he said ‘let’s go get it [at ND],,’” he said. “So it was a sweet feeling knowing I’m up next to join him.”
Owusu-Koromoah originally planned on playing basketball collegiately and played at the same high school as Allen Iverson, acknowledged it took some time to get used to playing football at the collegiate level.
“The first year I was devastated getting hurt, so it was tough to handle,” he explained. “That year, I didn’t take full advantage, but Balis’ weight program helped a lot. As far as weight and mental training, we had 6 am non-travel lifts and we put in a lot of work to get where we are.”
As a two-sport athlete in high school, Owusu-Koramoah gained experience in all levels of competition across the state. After an AAU basketball tournament, Allen Iverson talked to him directly to give him advice on his future and star potential, even if JOK ended up choosing football.
“After a Christmas tournament, we had a long conversation, and he said just ‘keep doing what you’re doing, you can be a great player,’” said Owusu-Koramoah. “It turned my mind frame around, that time was running out, and I needed to get things going.”
With the injury to Shaun Crawford, Brian Kelly noted Owusu-Koramoah will get more time playing in Notre Dame’s nickel and dime packages. He doesn’t shy away from the challenge, but embraces an opportunity to spend more time helping the Irish defense.
“To be able to step up and get more snaps is an opportunity for me,” Owusu-Koramoah stated. “I hate to see such a great player go down [in Shaun Crawford], but he’ll be back in a few weeks, so I’m ready to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Speaking of embracing challenges, Owusu-Koramoah stressed his love for the intensity and high stakes of college football. Going into his first start of his career in the Louisville game, he felt very prepared.
“I felt like it was just another game, and the offseason really helped with that,” Owusu-Koramoah said. “I became accustomed to the speed of the game going against our offense; it felt like second nature. When the lights come on, I don’t really get butterflies. Just where I came from made me, so when it’s time to go something clicks and I’m ready.”
Despite starting at rover for one of the most recognizable football teams in the country, Jeremiah still takes time to engage in some of his other hobbies, including art, film, and music.
“I was big into the arts in high school,” said Owusu-Koramoah. “Whether it was photography, music, film, acting, you name it, so I try to keep that up when I can. I’m always the guy with the 70s vibe,” he says with a laugh. “Jazz, R&B, everything from Marvin Gaye to John Coltrane.”