Notre Dame LB commit Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa named preseason first-team All-American
MaxPreps released their 2023 preseason All-America football team on Monday. And Notre Dame 2024 four-star verbal linebacker commit Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa earned a spot on it.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Viliamu-Asa was one of three linebackers named to the first team. Former Fighting Irish targets Sammy Brown and Brayden Platt also received first-team recognition. MaxPreps named 54 players from across 39 schools first- and second-team preseason All-Americans.
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco’s Viliamu-Asa is coming off an outstanding junior season in which he racked up 111 tackles (71 solo), 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a pass breakup. He also contributed in the turnover department with an interception, a caused fumble and two fumble recoveries.
St. John Bosco claimed the 2022 MaxPreps National Championship with a 13-1 record, which included victories over high school football powerhouses Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and Kahuku (Hawaii) High.
Viliamu-Asa’s storybook junior season came after he missed his entire 2021 fall season as a sophomore with a torn ACL. As a freshman, he sustained the injury during St. John Bosco’s COVID-19 spring season.
It only took one football season for Viliamu-Asa to reclaim his status as one of the nation’s top linebacker recruits.
The On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — considers Viliamu-Asa the No. 136 overall player, No. 11 linebacker and No. 14 prospect in California. He has a 92.54 rating.
In On3’s own rankings, he’s the No. 27 linebacker and No. 30 prospect in California. On3 gave him a 90 rating. His On3 NIL Valuation annual value is $106,000. That ranks No. 188 among high school football recruits.
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Viliamu-Asa’s Notre Dame commitment a massive recruiting victory for the Irish
On July 23, Viliamu-Asa committed to the Irish over Ohio State and Southern California. He officially visited each of those schools in June before ultimately picking Notre Dame one month later … and the week following a church retreat.
“After every visit, I felt really good,” Viliamu-Asa told On3’s Scott Schrader on July 23. “I felt really good about ‘SC after that visit. It bounced back between the two of them. After the visits, I could really see myself at ‘SC and could see myself at Ohio State. I couldn’t see myself at Notre Dame.
“What solidified it for me was I took this past week to seek God’s will for me. I read Hebrews 11:1, and it talks about faith is the assurance of what we can’t see. I feel like God was telling me that he wanted me to trust him, and he already had it in place.
“Notre Dame is a great school. This is the place I’m going to be locked in at. It’s a 40-year decision, and I’m going to get a great education and compete at a high level.”
When Viliamu-Asa signs with the Irish in December, it will be just the second recruit they’ve added from St. John Bosco in the internet recruiting era (since 2002). Former three-star linebacker D.J. Morgan inked with the Irish in 2016 over scholarship offers from seven Power Five programs.
