Aaron Lynch: After Florida State Decommitment, Is Notre Dame in Play?
Early it was Notre Dame. Then, he was going to Florida State. Jimbo Fisher was at his house, eating his mother's gumbo and watching him fill out the paperwork to enroll at FSU. Fisher even gave him his future Noles jersey number, 19.
Yet, Island Coast (FL) defensive end Aaron Lynch decided to de-commit from Florida State soon after and is now torn on what he should do. Rumors have been swirling about Lynch eventually indeed heading to Tallahassee, yet Notre Dame has come back strong.
Let's take a look at the Lynch saga.
Lynch's Strengths
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The first thing you notice about Lynch is his size. He's 6'6" and 255 pounds and is impressive immediately on the hoof. He also plays with a tremendous motor and competitiveness about him like he feels he should make every tackle on every play.
Lynch gets off with a quick first step at the snap and burst to come off the edge. His athleticism is amazing as he can play the run laterally by keeping trash off him, scraping down the line and pursuing. He has the short area quickness and range to patrol the edge vs. running backs and the speed to chase them down from the backside.
He's 255 pounds right now and will likely be around 275-280 pounds before he leaves college, which makes him a great fit at strongside defensive end.
Lynch's Weaknesses
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Being so tall does hinder Lynch at times, as he can lose leverage and play with too high of a pad level in the trenches. He also needs to use his hands better, instead of relying so much on athleticism and sheer will.
He's inconsistent in his point-of-attack strength and could have problems shedding and escaping blocks from stronger right tackles.
Lynch is also raw in his pass rush plan. He will need to gain an array of moves and refine his technique to beat college tackles routinely off the edge.
Notre Dame De-Commitment
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Lynch committed to the Irish in the summer of 2010. He stated his love for the players, coaches and academics as to why he committed to Notre Dame.
He felt that he could translate well into Notre Dame's 3-4 defensive alignment due to his athleticism, size and strength. Lynch was set to head to South Bend in January and be ready to compete for a spot in the defensive rotation during spring ball.
Then October came and he felt that he desired to stay closer to home. Thus, he de-committted from Notre Dame and announced he was looking at Miami, Florida State and Florida. He took a visit to Florida State on November 6 and Florida on November 13.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Florida State De-Committment
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On November 15th, Lynch declared he was all Seminole, committing to Florida State."I was ready to commit to them almost a year ago," Lynch to Scout.com.
He stated he was comfortable at Florida State, it was close to home and his heart had always been with Florida State. Many felt this was the end to Lynch's recruitment, as he was so excited to have his choice out of the way.
Then his initial affection for Notre Dame came creeping back, and on January 9, Lynch de-committed from Florida State. He then stated that he was down to just the Irish and Seminoles and was torn between both schools.
So...Now What?
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Lynch has even told observers that he has no clue as to what he's going to do. He really loves both schools and Notre Dame is waist deep in the mix.
He verballed to Notre Dame early, backed off, pledged to Florida State and then backed off from the 'Noles as well. It seems he wants to stay home in Florida, yet is really drawn to the mystique and relationships with the players at Notre Dame.
He has spoken with recruits from both schools, and those players have told people he talks about the other school when speaking with them, so they don't even a lead on where he will likely end up.
We feel that with Lynch always liking Florida State and it being close to home, he will sign up to rush the passer in Tallahassee.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
