Coach: Litchfield Ajavon Also Has Priorities In Order

Notre Dame made a huge impression on Salim Turner-Muhammad during the 2019 Virginia cornerback’s two stops in South Bend within the last week and the Irish had already made a big impression on Turner-Muhammad’s Episcopal High School secondary mate Litchfield Ajavon‍.

The Irish have a great chance at Turner-Muhammad, whose main focus is on academics and they’re likely to have a similar chance at Ajavon, according to their defensive backs coach Erik Nowell, who lauded both for having their priorities straight.

“The same thing Salim mentioned with me about schools was the same thing with Litchfield,” said Nowell, referring to Turner-Muhammad’s habit of talking about the academics of a college before its athletics.

“Litchfield is also first saying, ‘I’m going to get a good education.’ Obviously, they want to play football, but they’re also looking at their future at an early age.”

While Turner-Muhammad is a corner and the 6-foot, 185-pound Ajavon is a safety, Nowell said they’re pretty similar players with different personalities.

“Salim is a serious guy, but Litchfield is more relaxed,” Nowell said. “He provides more humor back there, but the kid is a hitter. He’s an alley-filler.

“He knows where to be at all times. He has a nose for the ball. He sees things before they happen on the field at the safety position. You can put him down in the box, you can put him at free safety and he’s definitely going to excel there. He’s got great feet. He definitely has good speed.”

Like Turner-Muhammad, Ajavon is a leader for his unit.

“When you’re looking for answers on the defensive side of the ball, you definitely go to those two,” said Nowell.

Ajavon makes a coach’s job much easier, according to Nowell.

“With Litchfield, you don’t have to work. If it’s 4th and 1 and you send him on a blitz, it’s turnover on downs. That’s a lot of the mentality we had this year. When we needed a play on defense, Litchfield was always there.”

Ajavon has already made a pair of trips to South Bend and is looking at a potential return visit this spring. The Irish were included in the top seven he released last month, which also included Virginia Tech, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin.