Olu Olubobola Scouting Profile: Notre Dame Strikes Gold with 5-Star Addition
- Max Uretsky
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Garden State to Notre Dame pipeline just got another update, with the Fighting Irish landing Olu Olubobola, the number one player in New Jersey and a top three offensive tackle in the C/O 2027.
Photo via Oluwasemilore Olubobola/IG (@o.olub)
The 5-star lineman has help bolster this incredible recruiting class, which is currently in the top five nationally, and the potential to move even higher. Olubobola joins James Halter as the other offensive tackle to land with the blue and gold for this cycle, and has all the makings of a big time player. I went through his Junior season tape, and although a raw prospect in some areas, Olubobola's potential is highlighted on almost every single play. Let's do a deep dive!
The Great
Anybody who has seen the movie The Blind Side may be familiar with the scene where Michael Oher's character gets called for excessive blocking after driving his opponent about eighty yards downfield and through the back of the endzone. Well Notre Dame fans can certainly expect that same level of nastiness when it comes to Olu Olubobola. He routinely muscles defenders out of the picture both on the play side and back side of plays. His play strength is very good, and he is a pancake machine. He has natural knee bend as a pass blocker, and I was impressed with his punch timing, as he showed good patience and did not overextend. Once engaged with a defender, he does a great job of sliding his feet and mirroring. He likes to chop down the arms of the defender right before they go to lean on him which knocks them off balance, and he usually takes that opportunity, to lay on top of them to ensure no ball pursuit.
The Good
Olubobola has some of the prototypical tools to excel in a Power/Gap scheme. He has good pop off the snap, especially on down blocks, staying low and washing his assignment down the line of scrimmage. He keeps a solid base under him in pass protection and has good feet for his size. He has the combination of strength and athleticism that would allow him to be able to play the blindside but also kick inside if need be.
Things I'll be Watching Next Season
Olubobola knows he can win with power and he is not shy about it, but there are times where it would benefit him to play with more technique as opposed to raw strength. I would like to see him stay engaged with defenders and continue driving instead of just trying to ragdoll them. On occasion he allows his hands to get outside of defenders shoulder pads and he gets a little grabby which could draw some flags at the next level. During his senior season, I hope to see him asked to work in space a little more often, getting out as a lead blocker on screens and also climbing to the second level and taking on linebackers/safeties in the run game. He has put enough athleticism on film that I believe those are things he can do, it just seems he has not been asked to do so very often. His angles and depth on his kick step are not bad, but I would love to see continued development in this area as well.
Landing players that are top five at their given position has almost become commonplace under the current Notre Dame regime, and Olu Olubobola is the latest example of the elite recruiting outfit the Fighting Irish have become. Anthonie Knapp was a true freshman starting at left tackle for what would be a national championship runner up year in 2024, and Olubobola may be extended that same opportunity when he gets to South Bend if all things go well during his senior campaign. Joe Rudolph has to be excited about his potential and the type of talent he will have at his disposal for years to come. The earned title of Offensive Linemen U will not be changing hands any time soon and defenses across the country should be on notice.
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