Notre Dame Commit Armel Mukam Took Huge Step As Senior
When Notre Dame landed a commitment from 2023 Woodberry Forest (Va.) High School defensive end Armel Mukam, Irish fans were left with confusion and intrigue. That particular recruitment was kept behind the curtain right up until the staff flipped him from his pledge to Stanford University.
The minute that fans popped on the film, the upside was easy to see. From a height, weight, athleticism and upside perspective, you would be hard pressed to find a more impressive athlete in the 2023 recruiting class. There is, of course, a lot of rawness in that junior film. That’s where context comes to play.
Why is there so much rawness? Well it happened to be Mukam’s first year of in game experience.
UNCOMMON BACKGROUND
After spending some practice time during the COVID-19 impacted 2020 season, Mukam got his first game action in 2021 for Woodberry Forest. The 6-4, 250-pound athlete quickly showed off his premier athletic gifts, although still very raw for obvious reasons.
Still, the success Mukam had in his Initial season was eye popping.
It wasn’t long ago that the Canadian star was strictly a hockey player, and a good one for that matter. If Woodberry Forest did have a hockey program, there is a high possibility that Mukam would still be wielding a pair of skates and a hockey stick.
Going back to 2020, Mukam had a decision to make. He started doing some research on school opportunities in the states and he eventually found Woodberry Forest, got in touch with the coach and quickly set the plan in motion. W
ith some travel issues, Mukam was pressed with delaying the trip to Virginia or making the journey himself. He opted for the latter and the rest is history.
TRANSCENDENT TRAITS
There is a surprising amount of explosiveness and flexibility for Mukam. He is definitely a linear athlete but has shown a nice ability to change direction and make plays in space. Mukam showcases some impressive coordination and control, which is very understandable with his hockey background.
Those are the traits that hockey has really provided for him. When you combine that with his incredible body type and growth upside, as well as the length he possesses, you have the baseline for being a premier pass rusher if Mukam puts it all together.
In his initial season in 2021, Mukam put together a promising start. In six total games played during that year, Mukam collected ten tackles for loss and five sacks in six games played.
SENIOR YEAR JUMP
Mukam went into his senior year as a tremendous athlete who was still learning the defensive end position. The Woodberry Forest star leaves his final campaign with massive improvements and deeper understanding of the game.
Funny enough, the production doesn’t necessarily pop off of the box score. He collected 50 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and 14 quarterback hurries on the year.
When you pop on the film, you quickly see why. Opposing offenses clearly had a plan for Mukam, sliding protection and leaving extra blockers in to counteract the talented senior. Despite that added attention, Mukam was still able to create consistent pressure.
His rankings have continued to jump in effect. Mukam now ranks as the No. 191 overall player and the No. 30 defensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
Playing mostly on the edge as a junior, the team used Mukam all over the defensive line in 2022. From multiple alignments, his combination of explosiveness and raw power was overwhelming for opposing offensive lineman of all shapes and sizes.
There is an absurd amount of twitch for Mukam, who also possesses the ability to convert speed to power with high regularity and relative ease. When he’s able to put his foot in the ground and explode, Mukam is nearly impossible to stop at the top of the track. Once he is able to add more hand nuance and a pass rush plan to his profile, he will be almost unblockable in one-on-one situations.
The jump from 2021 to 2022 was noteworthy. If Mukam is developed properly, he could be one of the big surprises of the 2023 class for Notre Dame. His upside is staggering.
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