Notre Dame, 3 ACC, & 3 Big Ten schools offer 2019 Osita Ekwonu over 2 days

Seven major Power 5 offers over the span of two days is an awfully impressive run for any prospect but linebacker Osita Ekwonu is taking it in stride. The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day junior explained what he thinks of his new offers from Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, Louisville, Virginia, and Notre Dame.

IN HIS OWN WORDS...

"It’s definitely a blessing," Ekwonu said. "To get so many offers in such a short amount of time is surprising but I’m thankful. The run on Tuesday started with Penn State. It’s a great school athletically and academically. It’s known as ‘LBU’ because they build great linebackers. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to play at a school like that. I’m starting to communicate more with the coaches. I had a chance to text with the defensive coordinator recently and I know he has a lot of experience coaching the linebacker position. At a school like that, where linebackers are pretty much bred, you know that he’s a great coach and he’s good at what he does.

"Ohio State is a great school football-wise and academically," he said. "They have a great coach in Urban Meyer and all the defensive coaches there too. They have great academics and top of the line football. I’m still talking with the coaches there and I’ll be doing some more research on them.

"I had a chance to go up to North Carolina over the summer," said Ekwonu. "I spent time with some of the coaching staff, especially coach Ekeler, the linebackers coach, and coach Brewer. I’ve gotten to know both of them pretty well. I know they are great coaches. Coach Brewer is always texting me and he’s a great guy. They have a strong history of great academics there. They battled through some adversity on the field last year but it’s still a good school athletically.

"I know Michigan is a top ten school and I could play football at a very high level there," he said. "They have a great coaching staff with the linebackers and the defensive coordinator. They have a lot of athletes there like Jabrill Peppers. Michigan could be a great school for me with great academics and great football.

"I’m still doing my research on Virginia but I’d like to possibly go for a visit there and learn more about them," Ekwonu said. "I had a chance to watch some of their games on TV. I saw how they play on defense. I’ve been talking with some of their coaches but I want to learn more.

"I know Louisville has a great football program," he said. "I’ve been talking with coach Galloway, my regional recruiter, a lot. He’s been to the school a couple times. I’d like to possibly get there for a visit and talk to some other coaches and see the facilities.

"I know Notre Dame is a catholic institution and, me being catholic, it would be a great fit for me," said Ekwonu. "I've had a chance to talk to coach Lea, the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator. I’ve been up there twice, once over the summer for a camp and another time for a game. It’s a great campus. They have a great culture and I saw a lot of great things. I’d definitely like to make a third trip up there in the near future. The environment of the whole population of the school stood out to me. I went up there for the USC game and the stadium was packed and they had us seated next to the fans. It was a really cool experience. Touring the facilities, we got to see a lot of the new stuff they are doing to the locker room. The culture around the school and the team definitely stood out to me that would be amazing to be a part of.

"I went to North Carolina last Saturday," he said. "I’m going to Wake Forest this Saturday as well as Duke on February 24th. I’m working on planning trips to go see Notre Dame again as well as Northwestern and some other schools.

"The number one focus for me is academics," Ekwonu said. "After football I need a good foundation that I can use for the rest of my life. All the schools that I’ll be considering have strong academics. The next thing will be the history of the program playing high level football with good academics. That’s the perfect combination. Those two things are the main things for me."

RIVALS' REACTION...

Ekwonu's run of major offers likely isn't over. It's fair to say the offers from Notre Dame and North Carolina carry a lot of weight right now because they are two schools he's shown a lot of interest in prior to receiving the offers. Spring visits to a number of schools will help Ekwonu narrow his focus a bit but his offer sheet will expand before then.