Another important Notre Dame defender announces return

Wednesday, Notre Dame defensive end Justin Ademilola announced his return to the Fighting Irish next year. Friday, his brother did the same.

Defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola is coming back to South Bend next year, he announced. Those are two big pieces Notre Dame will have next year as Marcus Freeman enters his first season as head coach.

I heard they callin me… I'M BACK NOTRE DAME ☘️ #TGS pic.twitter.com/MLnDznFY2R

— Jayson k. Ademilola (@jaysonademilola) January 7, 2022

“I heard they callin me,” he wrote. “I’M BACK NOTRE DAME.”

Jayson Ademilola ranked fifth on the Fighting Irish with 50 tackles and third with four sacks. Justin, meanwhile, had 5.5 sacks, which speaks to the production the two bring to their fifth year at Notre Dame.

Jayson was a four-star recruit out of high school and the No. 5 prospect in the state of New Jersey from the Class of 2018, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Notre Dame still awaits a decision from defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who led the Fighting Irish with 10 sacks this year. If he returns, that would make three huge parts of the defense who’d come back next year.

The Fighting Irish went 11-2 this season and fell to Oklahoma State 37-35 in the Fiesta Bowl despite having a 28-7 lead at one point. The picture for 2022 is getting clearer as Freeman gets ready to take the reins after Brian Kelly left for LSU.

With the Ademilola brothers back in the fold, there appears to be a solid foundation for the incoming defensive coordinator.

Key Notre Dame defender Justin Ademilola announces he’s coming back

Notre Dame defensive end Justin Ademilola channeled his inner Michael Jordan on Wednesday when he made an announcement about his next step. He posted a video on Twitter with two words at the end.

“I’m back.”

Yes, Ademilola announced he’s returning for a fifth season in 2022. That’s a huge boost for the Notre Dame defense, which is already losing top safety Kyle Hamilton to the NFL.

Ademilola was second on the team in sacks this year with 5.5. He also had 35 tackles, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries to his name.

Now, Notre Dame waits to hear what Isaiah Foskey decides to do. That announcement is expected later this week. Foskey led the Fighting Irish with 10 sacks this season and has a chance to declare for the NFL Draft.

If they can get both Foskey and Ademilola back, the defense would be in good shape as a new defensive coordinator takes over.