RJ Oben Wants To Finish His Career Off With A Bang At Notre Dame
Quarterback has been the most high-profile portal position for Notre Dame the last two years, but Marcus Freeman and his staff have made strategic additions on the defensive side of the ball as well. Nickel back and defensive end were the two biggest adds to last year’s defense and Notre Dame went to the portal at both of those positions this year as well.
Defensive end RJ Oben comes to Notre Dame after five years at Duke, where he tallied 14.5 sacks over the last three seasons. Oben chose Notre Dame as the place he wants to finish his college career after playing against the Irish last season.
"It's crazy,” Oben said of the move. "You look back and you see clips around the building of our game against Notre Dame - going against Notre Dame when I was at Duke - and it was crazy to think honestly during the season of playing that game on the other sideline, seeing those colors. I think after making that decision and I think just the culture here is unmatched, the exposure, obviously being able to get a great education, to be able to get a graduate degree would be amazing. Just having those resources, being a guy to come in here and really maximize myself, with the player I am, with the development. I just think the culture here, the guys around me."
Oben played high school football at St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey, which is a program Notre Dame fans are familiar with.
"I had three high school teammates who played here,” noted Oben. "Shayne Simon, Justin and Jayson Ademilola, knowing from those guys how things were; Brandon Wimbush. I feel like I've had a connection to this place for a long time. I think that kind of led into it, kind of seeing all those.”
A key part of Oben’s decision to come to Notre Dame was the vision Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington have for him in the Irish defense. They did their research on Oben and mapped out what they see for him in the Irish defense.
“He was huge,” Oben said of the role Washington played in him coming to Notre Dame. "Especially one of the big things that kind of drew me was that connection to (former Duke defensive coordinator) Ben Albert, someone who was recruiting me at Duke and obviously spent three years with him. They spent time together at (Boston College), actually. He established a great plan for me, and kind of showing the things that he's seen for my game. They' watched a lot of film of me from teams they've been preparing for and stuff like that, and kind of showing things that I can improve on, how I can fit inside of the defense and kind of give him that outline to show me the plays they had last year and some of the tape that he had seen.”
The 6-3, 263-pound grad transfer is set to play the strong side defensive end for the Irish. It’s the same position Javontae Jean-Baptiste played last season after he transferred from Ohio State. Oben has already talked with Jean-Baptiste to pick his brain.
"I definitely was in close connection with him,” Oben said. "Obviously, he went through a similar process last year and leaving his fifth year and deciding to go to the portal and take advantage here. They were able to tell me in terms of showing me how they were able to develop him, showing me tape of where he was when he first got there versus the way they developed his technique and made him a better player. It gave me all the confidence that I'll be able to do the same thing.”
Oben and Jean-Baptiste's final seasons at their previous schools the year before transferring to Notre Dame are similar. Jean-Baptiste had four sacks and 19 tackles in his last season at Ohio State, while Oben had five sacks and 17 tackles last year at Duke. Jean-Baptiste's tackle totals exploded to 49 last season with the Irish and that’s an area Oben wants to improve next season with the Irish.
"I think it's just getting a feel for the game,” Oben explained. "Being completely confident in being out there in the defense and get in a rhythm of the game and a feel; that's something I can definitely improve on and work on here. You have to earn the right to rush the passer on first and second down. I think just establishing that physicality, and I'm trying to definitely get in there and working with these guys, I think that I can definitely work on that.”
If Oben can do for Notre Dame what Jean-Baptiste did a season ago the Irish defensive line will once again be one of the nation's best.
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