Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 57 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, with 57 days remaining until kickoff, we look at Jayson Ademilola, the graduate Irish defensive lineman who’s ready for a dominating 2022 season.
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Intensely committed
Ademilola didn’t mince words last season when he was asked what it takes to be a dominating pass rusher. And he would know.
In his first season as a full-time starting tackle, Ademilola finished 2021 third on the team with 3.5 sacks. He also tied for third on the Irish with four quarterback hurries, to go along with his 49 tackles, the fifth-best mark on the team.
“Playing defensive line, you have to have a different mindset,” Ademilola said. “You have to be prepared for the moment. You have to just be a complete badass. If you don’t have that mindset, then you can’t play here.”
Always working to improve, Ademilola didn’t start during his first three seasons at Notre Dame but he certainly studied and contributed behind some great players in an important reserve role.
Through his junior year, Ademilola totaled 55 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack in 31 games during those three seasons.
Ademilola recorded eight tackles for loss last season, and according to Pro Football Focus, he easily led the team with 43 quarterback pressures in 2021.
“I want to make every play, I’m a hungry player,” said Ademilola, an experienced veteran with 44 games played. “When the ball is in my area or across the field, I’m hunting it down. That’s just having a mindset that you want everything.”
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One final go-around
The Irish defense received a string of good news over four days in January when Jayson Ademilola, his twin brother Justin Ademilola, and All-American candidate Isaiah Foskey all put NFL aspirations on hold and returned to school.
And if history is any indication, Foskey and Jayson Ademilola could become one of the most disruptive pass-rushing tandems in the country.
“I want to be elite, do whatever is necessary to make me elite,” Jayson said. “Whether that’s working on my hands each and every day, my feet each and every day, block destruction. Whatever it takes.”
The No. 57 hasn’t been an overly popular one in Fighting Irish football annals. Mike Golic Jr. and a handful of other linebackers and linemen wore it.
But if Jayson Ademilola can follow his career progression again this season and become an early-round NFL Draft pick in 2023, he’ll make a case as the best ever to wear it.
