Bergen Catholic Duo Could Blow Up Soon
Josh McKenzie and Aeneas DiCosmo may be a little under the radar right now, but that probably won’t be the case for long.
The 2019 teammates at New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic will be in South Bend this weekend for Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion Camp looking to continue making their talents known.
“Coach (Mike) Elko came in a couple months back,” Bergen Catholic head coach Nunzio Campanile told Irish Sports Daily.
“They’d obviously seen their film and stuff like that. It sounded like they wanted to get them out there.”
Campanile sees Notre Dame as a potential fit for both McKenzie, a running back, and DiCosmo, who would probably fall into Brian Kelly’s jumbo athlete category.
“They’re both excellent students,” Campanile said. “They’re great players. They’re the kind of guys who would be great fits in the culture of what Notre Dame is about.
“I think they’re very interested in the kids and player-wise, I think they certainly have the ability to play at that level, so I think it could be a great opportunity for them.”
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound McKenzie already has offers from schools like Rutgers, Temple, Boston College and Maryland.
“Honestly, he’s probably one of the most physically explosive kids I’ve ever been around,” Campanile said. “He’s fast, he’s physical, he has great vision. He’s a really well-rounded player.
“The biggest issue is that he’s battled a couple of injuries. He was really playing high-level football as a freshman and sophomore against some of the best high school football teams in the country. He’s performed great. I think if he was a little healthier, he’d probably have even more offers than he has right now. I think this will be a great opportunity for him to get out and see a great program and I think he’s excited about it.”
DiCosmo currently has offers from Boston College, Virginia and Toledo.
“People just started recognizing him,” his coach said. “I honestly think the sky is the limit with him too. I think he’s a kid who can really do great things. He’s just kind of scratching the surface of his abilities. He’s about 6-3, 218, 219 right now heading into his junior year.
“I think it’s a little bit about figuring out what position he’s going to play. He was great for us as a defensive end, but he’s probably more of a linebacker or an h-back. He’s a very talented kid, so we’ll see what he ends up gravitating to.”
Campanile expects both players to perform well at Notre Dame’s camp and is excited to see where things could go from there.