Aaron Banks to Notre Dame: Fighting Irish Land 4-Star OG Prospect

Notre Dame added some critical protection to its future offense Friday when offensive guard Aaron Banks elected to join its 2017 recruiting class. 

Brandon Huffman of Scout was the first to report Banks' verbal commitment.

The 6'7", 310-pounder is a 4-star prospect, per Scout, and the No. 150 overall player, No. 7 offensive guard and No. 2 offensive guard from the state of California in the 2017 class.

Banks naturally generated plenty of interest from West Coast schools throughout the recruiting process as a California prospect. USC was seen as the favorite at times and even held 100 percent of the "crystal ball" predictions on 247Sports as of March 16.

Pac-12 schools Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, UCLA and California also recruited Banks, as well as other schools across the country, including Baylor, Florida, Michigan and Miami.

Banks boasts the size to be an overpowering force at the next level and will likely hone his strength even more with years in an elite college program. What’s more, he is versatile enough to play on the outside as a tackle or on the inside as a guard.

Scout provided a glowing review of his overall game:

"

Banks is a mauler who manhandles opposing linemen. He's a big, strong kid who will take his man and drive block 10 and even 15 yards down the field before burying him in to the ground. He plays right tackle but could play guard in college as well. He has improved his quickness and lateral mobility and made nice strides as a pass blocker. His strength is as a run blocker and ability drive his man in to the ground. 

"

Being an offensive lineman doesn't always provide the most excitement for fans, but supporters of Banks’ new team have to be thrilled they are getting a lineman who can "drive block 10 and even 15 yards down the field."

If Banks follows that scouting report, he could hear his name called on NFL draft day in the future.