Two Notre Dame rookies earn spots on On3’s Freshman All-America Team
On Monday, Notre Dame was one of just three college football programs to have two players represented on On3’s True Freshman All-America team. Offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa earned the preseason recognition from On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power and On3’s Clark Brooks.
South Carolina (offensive tackle Josiah Thompson and EDGE Dylan Stewart) and Alabama (wide receiver Ryan Williams and defensive back Zabien Brown) accompanied the Fighting Irish by having two of their players highlighted.
With 12 days until Notre Dame kicks off the season at Texas A&M — who had defensive back Terry Bussey listed — Knapp and Viliamu-Asa are fighting for starting spots.
Knapp’s emergence since his January enrollment has been remarkable. He went from giving center a try during spring practice to overtaking veteran Tosh Baker for first-team left tackle reps after the Irish lost left starter Charles Jagusah for the season due to injury.
During Saturday’s news conference with the head coach and coordinators, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said Knapp and sophomore offensive lineman Sam Pendleton — another preseason riser — have earned starter consideration because of their consistency and work ethic.
“It’s what we ask for as coaches,” Denbrok said. “They consistently perform at a high level and stacking periods together and stacking reps together and stacking days together. This isn’t anything we’re rewarding them with. They’ve earned opportunities to be seen against the things our defense can provide us. Then we’ll make our final decisions and evaluations from there.”
When Roswell (Ga.) High’s Knapp verbally committed to the Irish in March 2023, he was a consensus three-star prospect. By the end of the 2024 cycle, On3 bumped him up to a four-star and ranked him as the No. 97 overall player and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the class.
Notre Dame linebacker Kyngtonn Viliamu-Asa has always been expected to make an early impact
When Viliamu-Asa enrolled in January, he immediately impressed coach Marcus Freeman with his maturity and physical profile. Both those traits were evident on the first day of spring practice.
“Every once in a while, you see a freshman and say he’s going to have a chance early,” Freeman said in March. “I can see that with Kyngstonn.”
Coming out of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, Viliamu-Asa was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. On3 ranked him as the No. 83 overall player and No. 6 linebacker in the class.
RELATED: On3 2024 Preseason True Freshman All-American Team
Since arriving in South Bend, Viliamu-Asa has primarily competed with sophomore Drayk Bowen for the starting middle linebacker role. Regardless of whether he starts, Viliamu-Asa projects to have an important role in this year’s defense.
“We’re not doing ones and twos,” Bullough said earlier this month. “I just said the other day, ‘Ones and twos is a (expletive) practice thing.’ Excuse my language.”
In addition to Viliamu-Asa and Knapp, the Irish signed four other top 100 recruits in the 2024 cycle, according to On3’s rankings: offensive tackle Guerby Lambert, EDGE Bryce Young, wide receiver Cam Williams and running back Kedren Young.
Williams and Bryce Young are trying to move up the depth chart behind several veteran players, while Kedren Young and Lambert have more realistic paths to playing meaningful snaps as rookies.
