4-Star North Carolina LB Ositadinma Ekwonu
Linebacker Ositadinma Ekwonu
Ranking
ISD: 92 - Four-Star
Composite: 91.7 - Four-Star
Vitals
6’2 - 220
Providence Day School (Charlotte, N.C.)
Senior Stats
Offense: 39 carries for 262 yards and five touchdowns
Defense: 61 solo tackles, 2.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles
Recruiter
Defensive coordinator Clark Lea
Recruitment Rundown
Ekwonu made his first visit to Notre Dame as an unknown sophomore for Irish Invasion in 2017 and then made it back for a game in the fall. Notre Dame extended an offer in the winter. The four-star prospect only needed to take official visits to Notre Dame and Northwestern before committing to the Irish on June 14th.
ISD expert Jamie Uyeyama
I think a lot of how good Ekwonu can be depends on how big he will be. While he plays as a space backer/Rover right now and could play that at the next level, if he ends up getting to around 240 pounds at Notre Dame, then playing inside is probably a better fit for him.
If Clark Lea can help him make that transition and be quick to diagnose the inside run, then I think he can be an outstanding player. He has the speed to cover sideline to sideline and that physicality might be better suited between the tackles.
Notre Dame fans may not like this comparison because he plays for a rival, but Ekwonu reminds me of Stanford’s Bobby Okereke who was a highly-regarded outside linebacker recruit who has become a very good player for the Cardinal at inside linebacker.
I think that’s the kind of player Ekwonu has the potential to become at the next level and if it happens, Irish fans will get to watch a highly productive player who can make as much of an impact as a blitzer as he does as a run-stuffer.
Favorite quote to ISD
“He’s a great coach (Clark Lea), very easy to work with and teaches in a way that is easy to understand.”
