Two Notre Dame football standouts named to On3 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team
On3 released their 2024 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team, which included two Notre Dame standouts. For those who followed the national narratives around this 2024 recruiting class in the preseason, neither of these names should be much of a surprise. The two Irish players mentioned were starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp, and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. […]
On3 released their 2024 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team, which included two Notre Dame standouts. For those who followed the national narratives around this 2024 recruiting class in the preseason, neither of these names should be much of a surprise. The two Irish players mentioned were starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp, and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
Charles Power, who is the Director of Scouting and Rankings for On3, put together this list. Here is what he had to say about Knapp, who their service was very high on when he was coming out of the state of Georgia.
OL Anthonie Knapp, Notre Dame – Anthonie Knapp was thrust into the starting left tackle role at Notre Dame, following a preseason injury to former five-star, Charles Jagusah. The true freshman has performed admirably, despite playing out of position at the toughest spot on the offensive line. Knapp has logged 296 snaps at left tackle for the No. 11 Fighting Irish, according to Pro Football Focus. He played his best game to date in week five against Louisville, allowing zero pressures. Knapp ranked as a blue-chip outlier for On3 in the 2024 cycle, finishing as the No. 97 overall prospect and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the On300.
A lot of Irish fans have been critical of Knapp, but being a true freshman at left tackle isn’t easy. He has shown steady improvement, and is coming off of the best game of his career against Louisville. Knapp’s future is bright.
On the other side of the football, Viliamu-Asa feels like he’s been playing great football almost every week. As he’s gotten more comfortable, he has been making more and more plays. No. 27 is very much a part of the future for the Irish in the middle, possessing superstar upside.
Here is what Power had to say about Viliamu-Asa.
LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame – Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was viewed as one of the most ready to play linebacker prospects in the 2024 cycle. He’s lived up to that expectation, carving out playing time in Notre Dame’s experienced defensive unit. Viliamu-Asa has logged 131 snaps – at least 23 in every game – according to Pro Football Focus. The true freshman has made plenty of plays, too. He’s tallied 16 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Viliamu-Asa looks to be next up at linebacker for the Fighting Irish. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder finished as the No. 43 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking.