JORDAN BOTELHO
St. Louis High School; Honolulu.
Measurements: 6'3”, 230 lbs.Accolades: An All-American and consensus four-star, rivals.com rates Botelho as the No. 12 inside linebacker in the class and the No. 198 prospect in the country.
Other Notable Offers: Botelho’s recruitment largely came down to Notre Dame and Washington, with many expecting the Irish to lose out in the chase for the Hawaiian. Georgia, LSU and USC also offered him.
Projected Position: Botelho played linebacker throughout high school, but his future should be at drop end, partly because of his prep work and partly because his 6-foot-3 frame can hold more than its current 230 pounds.
Quick Take: Back when Botelho first committed to Notre Dame, watching his film made comparisons to current senior end Julian Okwara unavoidable, given the first snap of the below highlight reel shows Botelho jumping a route for an interception He can handle coverage, but even in high school, he specialized in chasing the quarterback. In other words, he should fit in quite well as the drop end.
✍️ ➡️ ☘️@Jordanbotelho_ is #IrishBouNDXX.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/zIYXxX0m8q
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 18, 2019
Short-Term Roster Outlook: The Irish are comfortably two-deep across the defensive front in 2020, meaning Botelho can focus on work in the weight room while appearing in a reserve and/or special teams role(s) in up to four games.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: Notre Dame will lose its starters on both ends after next season, and though their successors are apparent in current sophomore Justin Ademilola and current freshman Isaiah Foskey, the contributing back-up roles are far from claimed by any of the current reserves.
For that matter, as well as Ademilola has handled himself when called upon, his ceiling is not as high as Botelho’s seems to be, meaning the latter could overtake the starting gig with Ademilola providing frequent support.
One way or another, Botelho will have a chance to chip in as a sophomore if he can add 10 pounds of muscle in the next 20 months, certainly possible with a headstart as an early enrollee.
Recent Events: Botelho actually will not play in the All-American Bowl on Jan. 4, nor the Polynesian Bowl, as a repercussion for an altercation he was involved in back in October.
