Notre Dame Is Getting "Freak Athlete" In Taebron Bennie-Powell

On Wednesday, Notre Dame got a new addition to the 2024 recruiting class when West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West safety Taebron Bennie-Powell opted for the Irish just a few days after being offered during the team’s evaluation camp last week.

This recruitment happened very quickly, with Bennie-Powell going from getting an offer to making a silent commitment in a 24-hour span.

To get a better understanding for just what the Ohio standout brings to the table, Lakota West co-defensive coordinator Tyler Huls was kind enough to give some context to just what Bennie-Powell can bring to the Notre Dame program.

Due to the makeup of the 2022 Lakota West team, Bennie-Powell has yet to play the position in high school that he's projected to play in college. That will change in 2022, as Notre Dame signee Ben Minich and Ohio State signee Malik Hartford are now in college, opening up a safety spot for Bennie-Powell. We'll learn a lot more about his game this season.

"It’s so tough to project just because Taebron had to play out of position last season,” Huls explained. "We had one safety who is at Notre Dame and the other is at Ohio State. He did what the team needed him to do, but you didn’t see the player you’ll see this year.

"Taebron is a lot more comfortable working from the back,” Huls continued. "Playing up against tight ends didn’t fully fit his skill set. He’s an extremely athletic kid and he’s very smart. Nine times out of 10, he’s going to be the most athletic player on the field.”

Despite playing out of position, Bennie-Powell was more than willing to do whatever his team needed him to do. The result was Lakota West allowing just 10.0 points per game last season while holding nine of their 14 opponents to single digits, including four shutouts.

"He definitely bought into it,” Huls said of the newest Notre Dame commit. "That rover position is the one I coached so I got to work with him everyday. Taebron did everything I asked of him. It’s a shame because he had a great weight gain this off-season. If he was more this size last year, he probably would have been even better.”

Now Bennie-Powell is now back at his natural safety position. The Lakota West team has already seen that move pay huge dividends.

"So far this off-season, he’s playing faster,” Huls stated. "He’s more sure about what is being asked of him. That freak athleticism is really shining through.”

In recruiting, there is always a hyper focus about what a recruit can do on the field. We rarely ever talk enough about the intangible side of the evaluation process. You aren’t just recruiting a player, you are recruiting a person.

For Huls, that's the best part about his young pupil.

"The big thing about Taebron is he’s extremely tough,” explained Huls. "Last year in the playoffs he tore his adductor muscle. The team needed him and he touched it out. A lot of kids wouldn’t have been able to do that but he’s a freak athlete who made plays.

"Taebron is humble,” he added. "He’s even keel, never too high or too low. He’s the type of kid who is never going to stop learning.”

One of the big sells about Bennie-Powell is that he is not near his upside. There’s no telling how good he can be, especially when he is able to be developed on the college level.

"Taebron is a great kid,” Huls said. "Ben being there will be a tremendous help to him. On that level, those guys get so much support. They have people who specialize in just your position and can develop you at a whole different level compared to high school. They can sit there and watch film with him. Taebron has the opportunity to explode.”

The Ohio native had begun pulling in more and more offers leading up to his commitment. On top of the recent offer from the Fighting Irish, Bennie-Powell has also been offered by Kentucky, Duke, West Virginia and Pittsburgh among others.

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Irish Breakdown Content

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Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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