Talented 2024 Twins Highly Impressed With Notre Dame's Athletic/Academic Combination
The last time Notre Dame signed two talented twin brothers on the defensive line, it eventually led to arguably the most underrated duo in college football in the form of Jayson and Justin Ademilola. On Wednesday, the Irish staff offered two talented defensive line brothers, extending offers to Windsor (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School 2024 standouts Jerod and Jacob Smith.
The Connecticut stars were excited to receive the offer from the Notre Dame program. They gave Irish Breakdown some insight into the processes thus far. They have already received substantial interest from several big time programs, including the Irish.
“The staff just started to really reach out recently to try and schedule a time for us to talk and a time to go and see the school,” Jacob explained. “They have also been by the school a couple of times pretty recently.
“Coach Al Washington was the one who extended the offer to both me and my brother,” Jacob continued. “I was pretty excited because not only are they an excellent program but also are very high academically. Those things are very important to me."
Both brothers shared a similar sentiment in regard to Notre Dame. It’s the reputation of their football program and the rigor of the academics. Generally, they were both in awe of everything the school has to offer.
“Honestly, my general thoughts on Notre Dame is just 'Whoa that is a highly academic school',” said Jacob. “They have a great reputation of course. Honestly, I was just excited.”
The Smiths are each enjoying the recruiting process thus far. They have been well traveled thus far, and have some hopes to make it to South Bend sometime this summer.
“My recruitment has been going really good so far,” Jerod explained. “I can’t complain about anything right now. I already visited a lot of schools so I’m only going to a few more this summer. We’re going to try to get up to Notre Dame as one.”
Jacob echoed a lot of the same sentiments. He also added that they will be making a visit this week, to a school that has captured the brothers attention early on.
“My recruitment has been going well for some time now,” Jacob said. “The only visit we have scheduled so far is the University of Kentucky this Friday.”
While Jerod kept his timeline pretty up in the air, Jacob has a very defined plan for how he wants to attack the process. He has also already finalized a recruitment date for announcing his decision.
"As for my decision, I’d like to have my top four to five schools by December," Jacob explained. “From there, I plan on committing on my birthday, August 27, of next year.”
How much of a player Notre Dame ends up being in the process remains to be seen. Regardless, the brothers have a high level of admiration for the program. Getting them up to South Bend will be a massive step for the twins.
The brothers have similar profiles when it comes to the recruiting rankings. They rank as the top two players in the state of Connecticut for the 2024 cycle, both ranking in the top 100 overall players nationally according to 247Sports. Jerod comes in as the No. 55 overall player and No. 8 defensive lineman, while Jacob follows closely behind at No. 72 player and the No. 9 edge in the class.
The Smith brothers were an absolute headache for opposing offenses during the 2021 season. In ten games, they combined for 58 tackles for loss and 19 sacks. With nearly six tackles for loss per game as a duo, you won’t find many more disruptive pairings in high school football.
They also carry nearly identical offer lists, having many schools who would love to keep the tandem together. The notable offers include the Irish, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Iowa, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest, Maryland, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse and Arizona among others. The lone outlier is Michigan, who has just offered Jacob thus far.
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