Listed measurements: 6-foot-4 ½, 292 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A junior, Onye has three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Onye should be fifth-year nose tackle Howard Cross’s primary backup this season, ahead of sophomore Tyson Ford. Both Onye and Ford flashed in spring practices, particularly the Blue-Gold Game, instilling some faith that Cross may not need to be worked to the bone in 2023.
Recruiting: A consensus three-star and the No. 43 defensive end in the class, per rivals.com, coming from Rhode Island undoubtedly dampened some of Onye’s recruitment, though he still earned scholarship offers from Michigan, Penn State and Virginia Tech, among others.
A point realized last year while writing up this section that bears repeating as it pertains to prospects in Rhode Island, rivals.com does not even tally a ranking of recruits from the state each cycle, because so few garner interest.
CAREER TO DATE
Onye did not play as a freshman and saw action in only one game last year, the snowy blowout of Boston College, making a pair of tackles.
NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
☘️☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/PSkqjvwxAW
— Jason Onye (@jason_onye) May 3, 2023
QUOTES
Notre Dame not only needs Onye to step into a contributing role this year, but it also has known as much since the winter, as has Onye. So as soon as the Gator Bowl ended, certain improvements began.
“Big offseason evolution in terms of diet and strength,” Irish defensive line coach Al Washington said in mid-April. “... Just his overall athleticism, he can bend better, his output is higher, longer. Especially in the trenches, when you’re in better shape, everything’s calmer. He’s maturing that way, and that investment has helped him.
Notre Dame does not have much experience among its interior defensive line reserves. Gabriel Rubio worked behind Cross and stalwart Jayson Ademilola last year, making 17 tackles while playing less than a third of a fullworkload, but otherwise, the Irish lack anyone behind starters Cross and Rylie Mills who has seen playing time. Perhaps thus a bit charitably, Washington considers Onye one of his veterans. Again, though, knowing he needed to step into that role from the outset of this offseason may have helped make that charity a bit more of a reality.
“Jason’s a guy we say, coming into the spring, ‘Hey, we’re counting on him to take the next step,’” Washington said. “... Jason is really making a point to assert himself in that role. The thing I trust about Jason is he’s gonna know what the heck’s going on. Some of the challenge sometimes is when a kid is out there, you don’t always know what they’re doing. Jason, at least I feel like if he makes a mistake, you can address it.”
Plenty to like about Jason Onye this spring and in the BG game. Blows up this play and then finishes with the TFL. When he plays with leverage, going to be tough to block pic.twitter.com/Z1QUV6y5R2
— Jamie Uyeyama (@jamieuyeyama) April 25, 2023
WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Depth matters at defensive line. Onye growing into his weight gain — recruiting services listed him at only 245 when he signed with Notre Dame in December of 2020 — should give the Irish a touch more depth than it needs, a luxury new defensive line coach Al Washington will jump at.
“Consider three-technique tackle. Ademilola is on the verge of stardom, and that may be the only thing that keeps Cross from 40 tackles himself. Onye has no chance of cracking that two-deep, barring injury.
“But in a blowout of Marsall or, actually even more likely, Cal in September, Washington would relish the chance to spare Ademilola and Cross fourth-quarter snaps. Giving Onye that experience would serve both the purpose of keeping the veterans’ legs fresher and of giving him a chance to prove himself at his new, albeit always somewhat presumed, position. …
“Onye is raw. He simply has not played enough football. The second-generation Nigerian immigrant lost a crucial season of development to the pandemic, and then he did not play any competitive snaps in 2021, either.
“Give him time.
“His size and length makes Onye an ideal defensive line prospect. With Ademilola onto the NFL after this season, Cross should start at three-technique tackle next year. Onye will compete with early-enrolled freshman Tyson Ford to serve as Cross’ primary backup, though both should see added playing time.
“Notre Dame expected a longer timeline when it signed Onye. Neither the length of the timeline nor the eventually expected payoff has changed.”
With his shirt off in the 2nd pic, that's Jason Onye at 292. Prince Kollie yesterday on Onye this spring "they just can't block him" https://t.co/CjQNU9N3AU
— Jamie Uyeyama (@jamieuyeyama) March 30, 2023
2023 OUTLOOK
Onye put on more than 40 pounds in his first 15 or so months out of high school. That is, in and of itself, a tiring task. It then took another year for that weight to be the right kind of weight.
Now at 292, Onye looks the part of a collegiate defensive tackle and he can focus on football more than food.
Cross is a workhorse, but having a capable backup will make him only better, so expect the Irish to lean into Onye a bit. Particularly after his showing in the Blue-Gold Game, Onye should be expected to play every week this fall.
Let that be the statistical focus of this outlook: Does Onye make multiple tackles against Navy? Does he play every week? If both answers are affirmatives, then he will have begun the season on a strong note and only improved from there.
DOWN THE ROAD
Cross could return in 2024 thanks to the universal pandemic eligibility waiver, but do not assume any player will take a sixth season until that is publicly announced. Onye’s improvement would make it a touch less likely Notre Dame commits a scholarship to Cross, but only a touch.
All those same things can be said about Rylie Mills taking a fifth year in 2024 as the three-technique tackle, too.
The Irish will hope the veterans return, simply because pairing them with Rubio and Onye once the latter duo have experience could create a dynamic defensive line in 2024, and it would also give sophomores Tyson Ford and Donovan Hinish further time to develop.
They are who Onye needs to hold off for future playing time, and based on this spring, he should do so.
NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 93 Armel Mukam, incoming freshman defensive end, former Stanford commit
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 87 Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year ...
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Sullivan Absher, incoming freshman offensive lineman
No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter
No. 73 Andrew Kristofic, fifth-year right guard, likely starter
No. 72 Sam Pendelton, early-enrolled freshman offensive lineman
No. 70 Ashton Craig, sophomore interior offensive lineman
No. 68 Michael Carmody, senior offensive lineman
No. 65 Michael Vinson, sixth-year long snapper, four-year starter
No. 64 Joe Otting, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 59 Aamil Wagner, sophomore offensive tackle
No. 56 Charles Jagusah, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 56 Howard Cross, fifth-year defensive tackle, multi-year starter
No. 55 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
No. 54 Blake Fisher, junior right tackle, second-year starter
No. 52 Zeke Correll, fifth-year center, third-year starter
No. 51 Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 50 Rocco Spindler, junior offensive guard
No. 17 Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 13 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 12 Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience
No. 4 Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth