Nana Osafo-Mensah & Notre Dame DL Ready to Prove Doubters Wrong
If there is one player on Notre Dame’s roster who won’t be overwhelmed with the sights and sounds of opening the 2023 season in Dublin, Ireland, it’s Nana Osafo-Mensah.
Yes, the graduate student has seen every environment college football can offer, but this will also be his third trip to Ireland this year alone.
The Fort Worth (Texas) native made a trip to The Emerald Isle in March with a few teammates as part of an NIL opportunity and then returned during his summer break to complete an internship.
It’s clear Osafo-Mensah has embraced Ireland and while the goal is to arrive back in the USA with a win, the 6-foot-3, 264-pounder also hopes to show his teammates some of what makes Dublin special off the field.
“I have a ton of friends over there that I’ve met through internships and through other opportunities, so I’m just really excited to go back over there and see them again,” Osafo-Mensah stated this week. “I definitely have a lot of places I would like to show my teammates and even people for them to meet. I know I’ve still been talking to a lot of my friends over there and they’re excited to be able to meet the team and just see us around and all that. I just can’t wait to have those two worlds collide for me.”
That said, Osafo-Mensah and the Irish defense have had their hands full over the last two weeks preparing for one of the nation’s most unique offenses that could have several twists and turns with a new offensive coordinator.
The tweaks to the offense are something Notre Dame has planned for, but at the same time, Al Golden’s defense knows they need to be ready to adapt quickly.
“We still know Navy’s going to be Navy,” said Osafo-Mensah. “We just have a good idea - just being prepared to handle change because at the end of the day, any first game of the year, you never know how loyal they’re going to stay to their own ways, even if they got coaching changes and all that. We’re just going to keep our head down and be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
When push comes to shove, Navy can throw everything at Notre Dame, but the basis of stopping the triple-option remains the same and it’s a lesson Osafo-Mensah has learned throughout the years.
“I would say one thing is just really staying consistent to doing your job because there’s going to be times you get a little greedy in the game, explained Osafo-Mensah. “You have a feeling you can make a play right here, but for how fast the triple option can hit, especially like the mid-line, the pitch, anything like that, you never know what they’re going to hit you with.
“If you just stay consistent with your job and don’t try to do too much, then you should be fine. So I think one big thing I wish I knew in past years is [to] try to block out all the other noise, all the movement, all the distractions and just focus on what you have to do.”
And yes, the second of the 2022 game has stuck with both sides of the ball. The Irish offense was shut down, while the defense had issues getting off the field at crucial points in the game, but it’s not the only game that has been a motivating factor for the Irish in the offseason.
“It definitely is,” Osafo-Mensah said when asked if the finish last tear was motivating for the team. “We had a couple other tough games like Marshall and Stanford last year too, and even Ohio State. One thing we’re just going to really emphasize on, even in the Navy game, is to be able to finish and just really win the interval. Because no matter what, a team like Navy is never going to lay down no matter what the score is. They’re a very respectable group that’s known for their hard work and, of course, their service to the country.
“That’s just a team that you can never let your guard down for one second, because you never know what they can do because they’re going to keep going for the entire four quarters of the game.”
Perhaps the most significant chip on the shoulder for the Irish defense is hearing the noise all summer that the defensive line was a question mark. Now, coming out of camp, most of those concerns disappeared, but it’s clear Notre Dame’s defensive line wants to prove folks wrong.
“We love it, I’ll tell you that,” stated Osafo-Mensah. “We love what people are saying about the D-line, we love the questions that everybody has. But at the end of the day, I have nothing I want to say out loud. I just know that we’re gonna show the whole world what we can do. I know there’s a lot of people that are questioning the people that we don’t have anymore, the people that have come in and all that, and wondering how the whole combination is gonna work.
“I’m telling you what, Coach (Al) Washington, he’s got us right, he’s got our mentality right. We’re really ready to go out and attack anybody that’s going to come in front of us.”
All eyes will be on Notre Dame on Saturday as the Irish kickoff the season for college football and Osafo-Mensah believes his team is ready for it.
“We’re on a big stage out here in Ireland,” said Osafo-Mensah. “The tradition of the Irish playing the Midshipmen out there. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity.”
Notre Dame Fighting Irish OHT Military Appreciation Long Sleeve Hoodie Top
