The Fighting Irish beat out Miami and Texas A&M for the elite New Jersey tackle, securing a high-ceiling edge blocker to anchor their growing 2027 recruiting class.
Notre Dame has landed a commitment from New Jersey offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola, one of the nation's top blockers. The Jersey City, N.J./St. Peter's Prep standout picked Notre Dame over Miami (Fla.) and Texas A&M. It's a big win on the trail and a talented addition to the roster.
Let's take a look at how the commitment from Olubobola impacts the Notre Dame 2027 class and how he fits into the Fighting Irish offense.
NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT
Olubobola is the 15th players to commit to Notre Dame in the 2027 class. He is the ninth offensive player to pledge to the Irish in this class and the third offensive lineman. Olubobola joins an offensive line class that includes Pennsylvania tackles James Halter and Wisconsin lineman Richie Flanigan.
Notre Dame signed six offensive linemen in the 2026 class, so numbers isn't really the big need in the 2027 class. Looking at last year's class, however, shows a big need at offensive tackle. Four of the six signees in 2026 project best inside, either at guard or tackle. Sullivan Garvin played center in his first spring, and Tyler Merrill, Ben Nichols and Gregory Patrick all project as interior players. The six-man class put the Notre Dame staff in position to focus on impact talent over numbers in the 2027 class, but from a positional standpoint there was a clear need at offensive tackle.
Olubobola impacts the class in both areas. He gives Notre Dame the kind of ultra-high ceiling talent the staff wanted/needed in this class, and he also gives the Irish a pure tackle prospect in the class. Yes, Olubobola could play inside like most tackles, but he's absolutely a player that Notre Dame views as an edge blocker.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Notre Dame likes offensive tackles that are long, athletic and still possess power to be good run blockers. A tackle in the Notre Dame offense has to have potential to dominate in the pass game first and then handle business in the run game. While Olubobola is more advanced as a run blocker right now, his combination of size, length, athleticism, instincts and strength give him extremely high upside as a pass blocker. That means he fits right in the mold of what Notre Dame wants in its offensive tackles, and Olubobola has the athletic skill to thrive at left tackle or the ability to be a dominant right tackle, whichever spot has the fastest pathway to playing time.
FILM ANALYSIS
The first thing you notice about Olubobola is a tremendous frame. He's tall, but not too tall where you worry about pad level and leverage. He has very broad shoulders and extremely long arms, which gives him an elite wingspan, something Notre Dame (and NFL teams) covet for an offensive tackle. Length allows you to recover better on the edge in pass pro, and it also helps you get hands on defenders. That's especially important in space, which is why it's more valuable for a tackle than it is for a guard, where the action is in more closer quarters.
While he's listed between 285-295, he has a frame that reminds me a great deal of guys like Joe Alt, Ronnie Stanley and Guerby Lambert. Meaning he's not chubby or fat, but he's just massive in every area (arms, shoulders, hands, lower body, feet) and he'll be able to easily get up to 315-325 pounds and maintain his athleticism and explosiveness. I have little doubt that Olubobola will fill out quite nicely, and do so rather quickly. He also has impressive natural power, showing very heavy hands and a strong lower body. The St. Peter's Prep standout gets very good movement with his initial punch, but it's his ability to explode through contact that allows him to be a dominant mover at the point of attack.
Olubobola has impressive athletic skills. He's a nimble athlete that moves with ease in pass pro, and shows the explosive vertical push you want in the run game. Olubobola is an agile edge player that can change direction extremely well, which combines with his length to allow him to handle quick penetration and line games. You see his athleticism most clearly in the run game, where he explodes off the ball with strong pad level and great bend. He gets excellent movement in the run game and is a strong, strong finisher. At times he'll get his hands a bit wide, but overall he shows a good understanding of how to use leverage and his hands to be effective in the run game.
Where Olubobola needs the most work is with his technical game, especially in pass protection. You'll see clips where he gets out of his stance with impressive quickness, gets into his set and shows the elite movement skills you want on the edge. But there are also clips where you see that he still needs a lot of work from a footwork consistency standpoint. Too often he'll just move his feet in place instead of moving with purpose. When this happens he will catch in pass pro and he's easier to beat out the edge. When his technique is right he shows top level foot quickness, so the talent to be an elite edge pass blocker is there, he just needs refinement. Olubobola will also overset at times, but at the prep level he's long and athletic enough to recover and handle business.
When grading Olubobola there are two realities. One is that he's behind a bit from a technical standpoint, with both his hands and feet. It's not bad by any means, just an area where the Notre Dame coaching staff will obviously have to work with him a lot early on. But what you also see is that his talent/potential is truly elite, and as his technical skill catches up to his physical skill (length, size, power, athleticism) he could be a big time tackle in the Notre Dame offense. That's what makes Olubobola such an outstanding, highly ranked prospect. He dominates in high school and isn't even close to reaching his full potential.
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