Notre Dame Signs DE Devin Aupiu
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have signed defensive end Devin Aupiu
DEVIN AUPIU PROFILE
Hometown: Oxnard, Calif.
High School: Pacifica
Height: 6-5
Weight: 225
2019 Stats: 62 tackles, 21 TFL, 11 sacks
IB Grade: 3.5 (Top 400 caliber player)
Upside Grade: 4.5
Offers: Notre Dame, SC, Utah, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Washington State, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Oregon State.
Recruited By: Mike Elston, Brian Polian
ESPN: 3-star
Rivals: 3-star
247Sports: 3-star
Composite: 3-star - No. 581 overall
FILM ANALYSIS
Aupiu has impressive length and a great frame. He is like many of Notre Dame's recent edge players in that his upside is greater than his current ranking. Aupiu will need time to fill out his frame, but the raw tools are quite impressive.
What jumps out at me is how well Aupiu uses his length. In most instances he does an excellent job of keeping blockers off his body, and his block destruction potential is impressive. As he gets stronger this should become a major weapon in his arsenal against the run game.
Like most young linemen, Aupiu needs to add a lot of strength, but he has a solid punch. Aupiu will need to enhance his overall pass move repertoire, but he shows a natural feel for getting under the pads of tackles on the edge. His close is good, and as he adds more strength and grows into his body he should develop a better natural burst.
Aupiu's position fit in this defense is interesting. Right now his size would seem to project him as more of a weakside player, and he has a game that could handle that role. I also see a player with a frame that could allow him to get to 250+ pounds, which could allow him to play as a power edge player as well.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Right now his overall skillset is ideally suited for the weakside position position in the Irish defense. He would need to show the ability to drop into coverage, but his frame and edge rushing potential fit that position well. If he fills out his frame I think he could project to play on the strongside as well.
JOHN GARCIA, SI ALL-AMERICAN, ON AUPIU
“Measurables on the edge are what coordinators want when they rotate talent in on third down and Aupiu brings it in droves. He works with plenty of burst and shows speed rush traits at play, including anticipation and some low plane samples that line up with his top cuts. When he's right it is gaudy on the production side of the coin and while raw, his stand-up experience is intriguing to consider as he fills out and polishes up. Effort, motor and a willingness to get physical are present so it may not be as long a project as some may suspect."
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