2019 Texas DE Sulaiman Kpaka Talks Notre Dame Interest & More

Sulaiman Kpaka‍ has a group of top schools already, but the 2019 Texas defensive end is still hoping for more options and at some point, Notre Dame could become one of those.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder said he’s had communications with Notre Dame assistants Mike Elston and Brian Polian along with head coach Brian Kelly.

“Their message to me is just to sit back and hold up,” the Grand Prairie High School standout said. “They’re showing a lot of interest in me as a football player right now and they’re looking forward to me getting out there and taking a visit. They’re very interested in me.”

Kpaka is considering taking the trip to South Bend.

“I’d love to see what type of coaching philosophy they have, the defense they run and the things the schools offer in terms of education and the social aspect,” the Grand Prairie, Texas native said.

“Notre Dame is a rich program. They’re very prestigious in everything they do, especially athletics. The program just has so much history with national championships and sending guys to the NFL.”

Kpaka has several offers and recently released a top 14, but even within that list, some are sticking out.

“Right now, the top schools for me are Purdue, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Boise State, Texas State, UTSA and Louisiana Tech,” he explained.

“Those schools believed in me early in the period. I believe I’ve created strong relationships with the coaches there. I feel like each one of the schools has something that would help me become a better football and their programs are on the rise.”

An offer from the Irish would likely jump them into that top group.

“It would mean a lot to me to get an offer from such a prestigious school like Notre Dame,” he said.

In addition to Notre Dame, he’s also receiving interest from schools like Texas, Oklahoma, Cal, TCU and Houston.

“I’m scheduling a few visits right now,” he said. “I have a few schools in mind. I’ll be taking visits to Vanderbilt, Purdue, Boise, Louisiana Tech and a couple in-state schools.”

He expects to commit sometime during the summer or fall.

“I want to have the decision done between the end of the month and the middle of the football season,” Kpaka said.

“The school has to stick out especially with academics and the role I could have on their team.”