Notre Dame Was A Dream School For Armel Mukam, But Not For The Reasons You Think

For some, Notre Dame is an easy sell. Tremendous education, high level football, brand recognition, program legacy, “SEC level football with an Ivy League education," and 4 for 40 has turned into 4 for Forever … those are the regular things that you hear about the Notre Dame program when recruits opt for the Irish.

Those things were again reiterated when 2023 Woodberry Forest (Va.) High School defensive end Armel Mukam selected the Irish after originally being committed to Stanford. The son of parents born in Cameroon and Chad, Mukam spent his childhood growing up in Montreal, with a proclivity and love for hockey.

Despite that upbringing, Notre Dame has long stood as Mukam’s favorite program. In fact, it has been his dream school for some time. Ironically, it was his roots on the ice that first began his admiration for the Notre Dame program.

“Growing up, I really gravitated toward the Notre Dame hockey program,” Mukam explained. "They were my favorite team and I can’t wait to go to some games when I get up there. It was just something about that gold helmet.”

Soon enough, he will be dawning a different form of that golden helmet. It had been a long journey for Mukam. To think that a couple years ago, the Canadian wasn’t even playing American football.

To go from that to committed to Notre Dame's highly ranked class in such a short amount of time is truly spectacular and inspirational. It’s the journey that is making this accomplishment so rewarding to Mukam and his family.

“I grew up playing soccer, hockey, and handball in Canada,” Mukam detailed. "Hockey was always my main sport. I think that playing hockey has really helped me with my foot work and that comes out on the football field.

“I’m light on my feet and explosive,” continued the 6-4, 250-pound end. "Being the heavy guy on the ice, I was still able to move well and make plays. I stopped playing last year. Woodberry doesn’t have hockey so now it’s all football for me. I think it was all for the best.”

The athletic traits are apparent when you pop on Mukam’s film. The fact that he has so little experience is both the troubling and exciting part of his profile. There’s no telling just how good this kid could be when his technique matches the natural gifts.

Mukam was a massive get for Stanford while he was in the class. High upside athlete, great young man, exceptional student, it was quite a sell. However, the minute Notre Dame got into the picture, it was pretty much a done deal. It was the offer that Mukam was waiting on.

“When Notre Dame came in and offered me, it was a really easy decision for me,” he said. "They have always been my dream school. Notre Dame was the only school that I would have flipped for.

“I was just telling people a few weeks ago that even if Alabama and Georgia offered me, I wouldn’t have taken it,” Mukam continued. "Notre Dame has the No. 4 business school and play outstanding football. It just made too much sense. Plus I grew up with the snow so may as well keep that going.”

Throughout this journey, Mukam’s family has been the rock for the talented defender through a very difficult transition from Canada to Woodberry Forest. All their actions have been for their son’s future, and he has spent a lot of time away in order to achieve his dreams. Mukam understands those sacrifices and his family can now share in this recent accomplishment.

“They were all really happy,” he explained. "It’s going to take the weight off of their shoulders and not have to worry about paying for me going to college. I think I’m also setting a really good example for my two younger sisters to set big goals and work for them.”

Being a role model is especially important to Mukam. It doesn’t start and end with his sisters, although they are important. No, he fully understands the position he is in.

Although things have gotten a lot easier for Canadian born recruits than they once were, exposure still presents challenges. There are plenty of players who go overlooked or ignored entirely. Mukam hopes to be the next success story in the pipeline and continue the recent string of success.

From players like Benjamin St-Juste (Minnesota), Neville Gallimore (Oklahoma), Matthew Bergeron (Syracuse) and Notre Dame’s own Chase Claypool, more and more examples keep popping up. Mukam cites that it is just the beginning.

"Being from Canada means a lot to me,” Mukam explained. "The United States is definitely sleeping on the talent coming out, although more and more players are getting recognized.

"There are a lot of Canadian players that are transferring to play at high schools in the states and you are seeing a lot more players get the spotlight. There’s so many great players,” Mukam continued. "I really want to give back to my community and Canadians as well. One thing I want to do one day is create an exposure camp for Canadian athletes when I have the resources to do so.”

While some will be more concerned about the current star rankings than the actual quality of player and person, Mukam is an absolutely perfect fit for the Irish. This isn’t the end of the journey, it is just the beginning.

A dream realized, Mukam and Notre Dame were a match that was born many moons ago. It may not be quite what a younger Mukam imagined but ultimately, the dream came to fruition.

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