Notre Dame Commit Profile: Darren Agu, Defensive End
Notre Dame recently offered a Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee two-way athlete Darren Agu. A day later, Agu was offered by Alabama. He's an ascending prospect with an incredibly high ceiling, and that offer has shook things up for the Notre Dame defensive line board. Agu is originally from London, England.
DARREN AGU PROFILE
Hometown: Rabun Gap, Ga.
High School: Nacoochee
Height: 6-6
Weight: 230
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 5.0
Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Louisville, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, West Virginia, Arizona State, Minnesota, Kansas State, Kentucky, Iowa State, Duke, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Rutgers
Recruited By: Mike Elston
RECRUITING RANKINGS
Rivals: 3-star - No. 27 athlete
247Sports: 3-star - No. 47 tight end
FILM ANALYSIS
Agu is exactly the kind of defensive end that line coach Mike Elston covets. He's listed at 6-6, but beyond that he has incredibly long arms. Agu is listed between 225 and 235 pounds, but he has a long, lean, muscular body that will hold plenty of weight.
On film you see Agu play all over the defense, something you don't often see from a 6-6, 230-pound athlete. He'll line up as a standup edge and rush the passer, he'll put his hand in the ground and be physical in the run game, he plays off-ball linebacker and he'll line up in space and cover. What's even more impressive is that Agu looks just as comfortable in space as he does playing with his hand in the ground.
Agu must clean up his technique and become more consistent, but there are a lot of snaps where he shows a great burst off the edge, the kind that could lead to him being a top-notch edge rusher. The England native also shows quick feet and easy change of direction traits, which allows him to be as versatile as he shows.
You also see Agu showing extremely fast and strong hands, which combines well with his elite length to give him the potential to be a great block destructor. He shows a natural feel for it already, and with even more technique work Agu will be incredibly difficult to handle as both a pass rusher and run defender. He shows a good motor on game film and his closing speed is outstanding.
His combination of length, athleticism and experience on offense makes it very hard to ignore the comparisons of Agu to current Notre Dame junior Isaiah Foskey, who was also a standout high school tight end. Like Foskey, Agu is woefully underrated right now, and once he gets into college his rare traits give him a chance to one day develop into a special player on the edge at the Vyper position.
GRADE KEY
5.0 - Elite player
4.5 - All-American caliber player
4.0 - Multi-year starter
3.5 - Key role player / Late career-starter
3.0 - Backup
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