Three Intriguing 2018 Rush Ends to Watch

We took a look at three prospects who I felt should get an offer last week, but today we are going to focus a little more on a specific position of need. The rush end position has been a hot topic for debate as Notre Dame needs more talent at the spot.

Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara intriguing young options, but the more elite talent to rush the quarterback is always needed.

Joseph Ossai – 6’4 – 217 – Oak Ridge High School – Texas

This is the under the radar rush end that could be a Top 50 player by the time it’s all said and done. The 6-foot-4, 217-pounder put on a show at the Houston Opening Regional in February and clearly has the length desired as an elite pass rusher.

Ossai is definitely a little raw as a player, but according to some who have seen him live, the Texas native has a little bit of K’Lavon Chaisson (2017 LSU DE commit) in him.

There are some freaky videos on Twitter of Ossai showing off his athletic gifts:
 
36.5-inch vertical

295-pound clean

Ossai isn’t an elite player right now, but he is the type of player Notre Dame needs until they can prove they can get the Josh Kaindoh’s and Robert Beal’s of the recruiting world. Give me a long, athlete that Mike Elko and Mike Elston can mold over into an elite pass rusher.

Baylor, Colorado, Houston, Northwestern, Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M are a few of his early offers. The Aggies look like the team to beat at this stage.

Junior Highlights

Andres Fox – 6’5 – 230 – Mobile Christian School – Alabama

Yeah, a defensive end from Alabama that already holds offers from Alabama and Auburn, I know. However, Fox does have interest in Notre Dame.

“I love Notre Dame,” Fox told me a couple weeks ago.

Much like Ossai, 6-foot-5, 230-pound kids with this kind of athleticism simply don’t grow on trees and while a little raw, Fox has the tools to be a very good football player.

Notre Dame has been digging into areas they haven’t been successful and coming out with some success. No harm in offering and seeing what happens with this one.

Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Penn State and Western Kentucky are a few of his bigger offers.

Junior Highlights

Brenton Cox – 6’4 – 245 – Stockbridge – Georgia

The Georgia native is going to be one of those guys that gets off the bus first when he gets to college and it’s likely he’s going to be a tough pull from the state. However, Notre Dame just got Derrik Allen so why not give Cox a good look.

Programs want an explosive player at rush end and well, the four-star prospect is exactly that. He has a great first step and plays with power. Cox has the long arms of Fox and Ossai, but he plays with strength, which is something both of those players are catching up on.

Cox is in the mold of Daelin Hayes and is likely to be more ready to play day one than an Ossai or Fox as he is physically mature.

The Miller Grove star holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee and USC to name a few.

Junior Highlights