Ovie Oghoufo returned to South Bend this weekend to get another look at his future home and the 2018 Notre Dame linebacker commit wasn’t disappointed.
“ND was great,” the Harrison High School standout said.
Oghoufo, who committed to the Irish back in July, enjoyed watching the Irish beat Miami and the rest of the trip as well, although some of it was a review.
“I watched the game and everything, it was fine,” he said. “I started at the Gug and then I went on a campus tour. I already went through the campus tour before, but I went through another one.
“Then I got a chance to get something to eat, I took some pictures photoshoot-style and after that, I was able to go down to the stadium to watch the players walk in and all of that.
“I walked around the sidelines, watched the linebackers do some things in pregame. I watched the game and then went in the locker room after the game.”
He also had the chance to visit with head coach Brian Kelly.
“He was just telling me different things about tradition and all kinds of stuff, asking about my school,” Oghoufo said of Kelly. “He’s a very down to earth person. He believes they’re on the right path right now. He feels the reason why there was a struggle was because of an inability to finish the game. I think he’s right that that was the problem.”
The Farmington, Mich., native also met with linebackers coach Mike Elston.
“Coach Elston was talking about what I have to do to be ready for Notre Dame,” he said. “I’m probably going to get bigger. He said to come into Notre Dame about 215, 220. We talked about the defense, how there’s going to be improvement as they find their new d-coordinator.”
Oghoufo, who is currently around 205 pounds, noted that he liked the improvements he’s seen under new defensive coordinator Greg Hudson. He did acknowledge he’s eager to see what Notre Dame does to fill that role on a full-time basis.
“I definitely want to see what’s going to happen with the defensive coordinator before I go there and meet up with that person,” he said. “I feel like I have a lot of time though before they make that decision. It’s definitely a decision I want to see before I go to the school.”
While in town, Oghoufo took time to sell Notre Dame to other visiting recruits, including 2017 wide receiver Noah Igbinoghene.
“His parents are from Nigeria like my parents are,” said Oghoufo. “We kind of had a real good bond. He really liked his official visit.”
The junior linebacker talked to underclassman visitors as well.
“First off, I go up to them and ask them how they like it and what they think about it at the time,” he explained. “Then I go and tell them why I committed. I tell them why they should or why they should really, really take Notre Dame seriously. I tell them that even though there’s a struggle, it’s the best time to attend Notre Dame.
“As I go in, I feel I could definitely make an impact right way. My goal is to go in and make an impact as a true freshman. I’m doing everything I can to be prepared.”
