And so begins another round of “This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football” here on OFD. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.
Nana Osafo-Mensah, DE
Nana Osafo-Mensah will join a talented defensive line group this season. He comes in as a fairly high ranked recruit out of the Dallas, Texas area. Osafo-Mensah picked the Irish over the home state Texas Longhorns. This was a big recruiting battle win for Notre Dame. It showed they can go into Texas and take some of the best players in the state.
The way the rush ends are shaping up, Osafo-Mensah will find himself in a developmental year in 2019. Notre Dame does not need him to come in and contribute right away. They are finally in a good spot depth wise and can let the younger players learn on the sideline. Osafo-Mensah has all the makings of a good football player, but it is unlikely we see any of it in 2019.
Taylor Swift, Chicago, Bon Jovi
I will think of this from a Texas perspective since the Longhorns thought all along Osafo-Mensah would be theirs.
Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me
Nana left them singing, “You Belong With Me” while crying and eating a bowl of ice cream.Too bad for Texas fans, Nana is Irish.
Hey Dog Hey
I have been told that Parson Russell Terriers are scrappy with lots of energy. That is how I imagine Nana Osafo-Mensah on a football field.
2019 Outlook
Not much here. I would guess the coaching staff would like him to get in to 4 games or less to preserve his year of eligibility. If there are not major injuries up front, look for Nana Osafo-Mensah’s name to resurface in 2020 when talking about the edge rushers.
Notre Dame is lucky enough to have the likes of Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara this year to rush the passer. It is a healthy situation to have talented players like Osafo-Mensah waiting in the wings.