Joshua Kaindoh Tweets Top 4: Which School Has Edge for 5-Star DE?

A trio of Big Ten powerhouses and Notre Dame represent the final four schools standing in the chase to land 5-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh.

On Wednesday evening, Kaindoh—who has 30 reported offers to his credit—tweeted out that he had trimmed his list to include Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State:

"

Thank you to every school that has offered me with an opportunity to attend their University, but here is my Top 4. pic.twitter.com/uWdsj7CsYH

— Joshua Kaindoh (@_jkaindoh) April 21, 2016"

The news comes with a hint of shock, as home-state Big Ten member Maryland was the school receiving the biggest buzz with Kaindoh earlier in the week, as detailed by Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

Instead, barring any last-minute shifts, it appears as if the nation’s top-ranked weak-side defensive end and No. 26 player overall in the 2017 cycle will play his college football away from his home state.

With his finalists now revealed, which program has the inside track on landing one of 2017’s premier pass-rushers?

Considering that Kaindoh was on Notre Dame’s campus last weekend and made the decision to trim his list shortly after returning from South Bend, the Fighting Irish appear to be in a strong spot with the 6’6”, 256-pounder out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

There are a handful of reasons that the Irish are trending with him.

As he told Bleacher Report in February, his main priorities in choosing a school include finding an institution that could help him succeed on the field and get him prepared for a career after football in the medical field.

As Wiltfong noted, IMG head coach Kevin Wright—who accompanied Kaindoh on his visit to Notre Dame—echoed those sentiments on why the Irish appeal to his star defender.

“More than anything he’s looking for a high-level academic school first and foremost he thinks can prepare him for med school, which is what he wants to do,” Wright told Wiltfong. “There is not a lot of schools that have that type of academic record that are also a top-10 Division-I football program. I think that is appealing to him.”

Additionally, the Irish are very familiar with recruiting players from IMG Academy, as 2016 signees Tony Jones Jr. and Spencer Perry hail from the Florida prep powerhouse.

Before his trip to South Bend, Kaindoh also visited Maryland and Penn State during his spring break.

Both Michigan and Ohio State are programs with plenty of positive momentum on the recruiting trail, as evidenced by the fact that each program has a class rated among the nation’s Top 10 overall groups.

However, both programs will have to work to get Kaindoh on campus soon considering he will be an early enrollee at the school of his choice.

While his recruitment could have a few more twists and turns, Notre Dame is the school that has to feel good about its chances to land Kaindoh as things currently stand.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani