Irish Offer "Means A Lot" To 2021 DL George Rooks

George Rooks‍ started out this season at offensive tackle for St. Peter’s Prep, but after a few games, the New Jersey power shifted the 2021 prospect to defensive line, where he stayed for the rest of the season.

It’s paid off.

“With somebody that long, there’s always a temptation to put him at tackle and he could,” St. Peter’s Prep head coach Rich Hansen said. “He’d be very good at it. I think his heart and his passion is on the defensive side and he developed really, really well there throughout the course of the season. We’ll play it by ear, but right now, I think he’s going to be an elite defensive lineman for us very soon.

“The great thing about him is he’s working. He’s come a long way. He was an all-league player as a sophomore, which doesn’t happen often. He’s got a high, high ceiling, so he’s got a way to go to become the kind of complete high school player we want him to become before we ship him off in a couple years.”

Rooks already has many of opportunities on the next level and that list grew by one on Thursday, when Notre Dame extended a scholarship offer to the sophomore during a visit to the school.

“He was really excited,” Hansen explained. “He said, ‘This one means a lot.’ Obviously, we have a track record of people at Notre Dame. That makes it different in a positive way. We’ll see.

“He’s got Michigan, he’s got Penn State. He’s got a bunch of big-time offers on a small body of work. As this thing goes throughout his junior year, I think he’s going to impress a lot of people. I think the upside is tremendous and the sky is the limit for him.”

Hansen isn’t surprised by the offers that have come Rooks’ way.

“He’s a 6-4, 250-pound kid who is going to be a 270, 275-pound kid by the time this is all done in high school,” the coach said. “He’s got a very, very good motor. He uses his hands really well, great work ethic. I think he’s a really, really terrific athlete. I think that’s the thing that jumps out on film from him. He’s long. He can play the three-tech, he can play a five-tech. I think he can do a bunch of different things on the d-line.”

Hansen expects Rooks to hit the camp circuit hard this offseason and to get a start on checking out colleges as well.

“He’s a road warrior,” the coach said. “He’s going to be out there doing stuff. He loves to compete, loves to compete, so he’ll be very active in that market and he’ll be active on tour to go see some campuses unofficially and just get a good feel for culture and style.

“This whole thing is about developing relationships with the coaches. For the next 16 months, that’s the crux of this for him, to be able to get out there and talk to coaches and establish a good working relationship and understanding where coaches are coming from and what the expectation is for him. That was very clear in our meeting with Notre Dame.”

Given their history at the Jersey City power, the Irish are able to get that part accomplished quickly. Brandon Wimbush, Shayne Simon and Justin and Jayson Ademilola all played for Hansen at the school. Simon’s younger brother, Cody Simon‍, is a 2020 linebacker prospect who already has an offer from Notre Dame.

“We know how they feel about him and their expectations for him and not only for him, but Cody, and their plans for them. (Rooks) will continue to pursue that, develop the relationships and be able to make an informed decision when it comes time.”