Ovie Oghoufo to Notre Dame: Fighting Irish Land 4-Star OLB Prospect

Notre Dame boosted its class of 2018 recruiting haul in a big way Friday by securing a commitment from outside linebacker Ovie Oghoufo. 

The Farmington, Michigan, native announced his intention to play for the Fighting Irish with the following tweet:

"

God. Country. Notre Dame. ☘ #IrishBouND18 pic.twitter.com/VjOh1RLwSV

— Ovie Oghoufo (@_OvieO_) July 22, 2016"

According to 247Sports, Oghoufo is a 4-star prospect who ranks as the No. 22 outside linebacker, No. 5 player from the state of Michigan and No. 271 overall recruit in his class.

Per 247Sports, the 6'3", 207-pound standout chose Notre Dame over offers from other big-name schools such as Michigan and Michigan State. The Fighting Irish scored a major coup by swiping Oghoufo from his home state and outflanking a pair of rivals for his commitment.

While Oghoufo is still a couple of years away from attending Notre Dame and could be even further away from becoming a major contributor, landing him is significant after the Irish lost a heart-and-soul linebacker in Jaylon Smith to the 2016 NFL draft.

It is difficult to project how players will fare at the collegiate level years in advance, but Oghoufo already has the combination of size, speed, athleticism and instincts that suggests he could become a force shortly after arriving in South Bend, Indiana.

Notre Dame has produced some big-time linebackers in recent years such as Smith and Manti Te'o, and Oghoufo seemingly has a talent level that could match or even rival theirs.

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