New Jersey's Aidan O'Neil brings impressive length, power, and motor to Notre Dame's defensive line. Explore his standout run-stopping ability and potential.
Notre Dame went into the state of New Jersey to pick up talented defensive end Aidan O'Neil. It was an important pickup for Notre Dame, who needs to keep adding talented edge players to the class.
Let's take a look at the commit profile for O'Neil.
AIDAN O'NEIL PROFILE
Hometown/High School: Ramsey, N.J./Don Bosco Prep
Height/Weight: 6-5, 250
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)
2025 Stats: 45 tackles, 13 TFL, 6 sacks
Recruited By: Charlie Partridge
Offers: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Indiana, Texas A&M, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Florida State, Nebraska, Washington, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Illinois, Syracuse, NC State, West Virginia, Duke, Minnesota, Northwestern, Boston College, Rutgers
RECRUITING RANKINGS
247Sports: 4-star - No. 73 overall - No. 9 Edge
On3/Rivals: 4-star - No. 191 overall - No. 17 Edge
ESPN: 4-star - No. 259 overall - No. 23 Edge
On3/Rivals Consensus: 4-star - No. 110 overall - No. 13 Edge
247Sports Composite: 4-star - No. 141 overall - No. 15 Edge
NOTRE DAME FIT
Notre Dame is asking its defensive line to be more stout up front under Chris Ash, and that is a big reason why O'Neil was a player that Partridge made a push for him. At 6-5 and 250 pounds with a big frame, there will certainly be plenty of projection about him potentially moving inside, but O'Neil is a natural edge player that could handle the edge as a power player. He could handle some 4-technique when Notre Dame to goes to its three-down lineman
FILM ANALYSIS
O'Neil is a different type of edge player than Notre Dame landed last season and that they are recruiting in the 2027 class. He's a well-built edge player with an outstanding frame. I could see O'Neil filling out quite nicely and getting to at least 265 pounds and staying on the edge. O'Neil has really good length, and he knows how to use that length to keep blockers off his body.
The Don Bosco standout plays with an impressive motor and effort. He's a powerful edge that plays a physical game, showing the ability to rock back blockers and reset the line of scrimmage. When he needs to he can anchor and hold the point. He's a stout run defender at the point of attack and he does a great job squeezing and taking on pullers. Despite being a tall and long edge defender, he plays with good pad level, fires off the ball and his motor runs really hot. I love his effort on the edge, whether it's chasing down from the backside, showing pursuit to the edge or the ferocity with which he attacks the quarterback.
Right now, O'Neil is at his best defending the run. His combination of length, power and quickness off the ball allow him to constantly win on the edge when teams try to run at him. He does a great job reading pullers, closing the gap and then bashing them into the run lane. He plays with a great motor, but he's also patient when he needs to be. O'Neil shows a good feel for finding the back and getting off blocks to make plays on the ball.
O'Neil has potential as an edge rusher, but his game needs a bit more development in that area. He wins with power and he's got a really nice burst off the edge. He overwhelms prep tackles with his size, length and athleticism. The tools are there: really good first step, length, pop, power and the ability to close well on the quarterback. He just needs to learn a couple of counter moves, learn to get to the edge of blockers and use his hands a bit better to win.
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