Boston College was once Jason Onye’s dream school.
The 6-foot-5, 302-pound defensive tackle grew up just an hour from the Boston College campus and even attended a recruiting trip there as a sophomore.
Yet, it was Notre Dame that ultimately won over the Rhode Island native.
“The opportunity that Notre Dame presented,” stated Onye when asked why his dream school changed. “Boston College is a great school, but just being able to play against the best, have the worldwide brand, be coached by the best, this was like something I couldn't pass up.”
Onye arrived on campus as a raw athlete who always needed time to develop.
In an era where the Transfer Portal is an easy out, Onye stayed the course.
That patience may have been rooted in self-awareness. Onye didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year of high school, and he knew his development would take time.
That same self-awareness also helped him navigate one of the most challenging periods of his life.
Last fall, Onye stepped away from the team for mental health reasons. Notre Dame wasn’t sure he’d return. But he did and became one of the standouts of fall camp.
“Coach Freeman does a great job talking about the bumpy road to better,” explained Onye. “Being able to acknowledge that in life, to get to the good things in life, you have to go through some downs and sacrifices, whether it's a missed time last year, whether it's not playing as well as I think I could play at the beginning of the season.
“I felt like I've just been able to listen to his messages with a whole different kind of mindset than I've had in the past. I've just listened to his messages, kind of applied that to my life, and just kept digging.”
Freeman’s influence extends well beyond football and Onye has taken notice. He’s watched how his head coach balances leading a program while being a husband and father.
“He's a coach,” stated Onye. “Don't get that wrong, but at the same time, he's the father of like six kids. He's a teacher. He's a motivator. He has so many roles and we all see that. He's just the life lessons, like everything he talks about in the team meeting from being able to elevate your process, what truly matters, how to be a man.”
When Onye was away from football, those lessons hit harder than ever.
“When I didn't have football, I was kind of like going crazy in a sense. Like, wow, no football. Like what am I really doing? Just like crashing out basically, and now this year when I'm back on the team, I’m realizing how Coach Freeman's meetings and all he says about like choosing hard and like process and elevating, all those life lessons that he tells you, all those messages that you think he's just like ‘coach talk’ isn't really ‘coach talk.’
“It's like real-life stuff. That's like the one thing when I came back, when I rejoined the team, I told him, I was like, ‘Thank you, basically. Like, all you're saying is really real life.’ I'm more intentional about it. I tell all the young guys about it that don't take these moments for granted.”
Onye is also quick to credit Al Washington for helping him reach his current position.
Mike Elston recruited and signed Onye, but it’s clear that Washington has not only helped his game but also made a lasting difference off the field.
“He's a great guy, great coach, great motivator, great coach,” Onye said. “He does more than coach, to be honest. Honestly, the fact that I'm even here right now is a tribute to him, just being able to trust me and put faith in me and just trusting my development as a player, as a person, just being able to pour into me, which I feel like not many coaches across the country are doing. I owe a lot to Coach Washington.”
The investment from the staff is their job, but the care factor is what separates them from other coaches across the country.
And that investment in Onye has started to pay off on the field. The senior defensive tackle didn’t hesitate to give Washington more credit.
“I could attribute all my technique and all my effort to him, just being able to call me out when he knows my potential,” Onye explained. “Potential doesn't mean anything unless you actually do something about it.
“When I have a bad rep, he calls me out on it. When I have a good rep, he doesn't say too much because it's expected. Just that kind of relationship and just being able to teach me the ebbs and flows and how to play to my strengths.”
While football matters deeply to Onye, so do relationships. He’s built strong bonds within the defensive line room, particularly with fellow lineman Gabe Rubio.
The two arrived together, and when Rubio suffered an elbow injury this season, Onye felt it.
“I would just say we just get each other. We can reminisce about like the old days. For example, Coach [Mike] Elston. Talk about like the jokes Elston used to talk about. We can just talk about Coach Wash, and then just talk about everything, the transfers in and out.
“No one really understands in the defensive line room the way that me and Gabe do. Just like it's cool. And having Myron [Tagovailoa-Amosa] here too as well is just like another like rock as well. Just being able to be like, ‘Oh, wow, when he was here, he was like a six-year captain and now he's just like a GA basically.’ It's cool to have that relationship with him. It's kind of funny.
“It's just great having that relationship with people. That's why I love this place. It's just great being around people that you know so well.”
Onye’s support system stretches well beyond the locker room. It includes team physician Dr. Matt Leiszler, wellness coach Sara Besse, and even family as his sister Lauren also attends Notre Dame.
He’s also grateful for the academic support staff who helped him reach one of his biggest goals.
“All those people making sure that I'm good with my grades and like able to like actually graduate when I want to graduate,” Onye stated. “Right now I'm doing a master's program, so that was a big goal of mine to graduate when I wanted to graduate, get a master's program. My sister, she goes here.
“She's a junior. My other rock. So, when I didn't have football, I was able to talk to her and be able to have her, have a good relationship with her.”
On the field, Onye is determined to keep improving as Notre Dame gears up for a potential College Football Playoff push, a run he couldn’t take part in last season.
“That was probably the most difficult part, seeing the run that everyone was making and just not truly being a part of it,” explained Onye. “At that time, my teammates, my coaches, everyone just all were worried about me taking care of myself, making sure I can be back here right now to be able to play and support the team in the way I know I can.”
Notre Dame fans could also see Onye in the blue and gold next fall if all goes as planned.
“If they want me to, yeah, I would,” Onye said. “I would love to be here. I love the guys here. I love the young guys coming in, the old guys who are going to be here still. I would love to be here. This place is like a second home to me.”
And Onye calling Notre Dame is home isn’t just lip service.
“I felt so strongly about Notre Dame,” said Onye. “Never thought about transferring, never thought about leaving, never thought about any of that. It's just the fact of it just kind of confirmed my beliefs.
“It showed me that the people here really care about you more than football. I feel like if something happened to that to any other player across the country, they probably wouldn't be on the team anymore.”
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