2026 OL Benjamin Eziuka Ready For Notre Dame Return

Benjamin Eziuka‍ made an impression when the 2026 Michigan offensive lineman camped at Notre Dame this summer.

“I went to the Big Man camp back in early June,” says Eziuka, who spoke with Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and offensive line graduate assistant Rob Delaney during the camp.

“It was great. When I got there, I didn't really expect Coach Rudolph to know me, but he knew my name, so that was cool. Coach Delaney was really interactive with me throughout the whole camp and got to talk to him for a while after. They seemed to really like me. It's definitely a place I really like.”

Irish Director of Recruiting Chad Bowden followed up to invite the Catholic Central High School standout to a game in South Bend this fall and Eziuka chose this Saturday’s game against Pitt.

“I'm just hoping to see how the offensive line moves in the game, how their techniques are, how they play against a good Power-Five team like Pitt, how the gameday feels, what the atmosphere and culture is up there,” Eziuka says. “Being in Michigan, I don't really see much of that, so it'd just be cool to see it all for the first time in person.”

Eziuka has early offers from Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami-Ohio and Toledo.

“It's great,” the 6-foot-3, 290-pounder says. “Not a lot of people get to be in this position, so I'm just grateful for where I am so I don't have to always worry about it. My name is out there right now, so I don't have to really stress about it. 

“I can just focus on playing right now and know that all that stuff's going to take care of itself. It's really good to know that all the hard work you put in is paying off and people see the talents you have and they know what kind of player you are.”

Eziuka’s early impressions of Notre Dame are positive.

“They always produce great offensive linemen like Quenton Nelson and Ronnie Stanley,” he says of the Irish. “They're just known as a great o-line university. It's a Catholic school and that's pretty big for me. I go to a Catholic school right now, so it feels pretty natural to go to a place like that. Just the overall feel, a great Catholic school with good academics is a place that would fit me.”

Eziuka made trips to each of the schools he has offers from over the summer. He was at Michigan a couple weeks ago and could make it to Wisconsin next month.

When it comes time to make a final decision, Eziuka will be looking closely at the offensive line coaches.

“A coach I feel will help me develop the best on and off the field to be the best man I can be, the best leader, the best football player and to go to the school that'll set me up outside of football the best. Nothing is guaranteed in this sport, so you always have to have a backup plan.”

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