Notre Dame football lands two talented players on preseason Freshman All-American team
The 2024 college football season is right around the corner, which means the media is now getting plenty of intel on what is going on at various programs. There is a developing understanding for what the teams will look like, and who the breakout stars could be. On3 released its preseason Freshman All-American team on […]
The 2024 college football season is right around the corner, which means the media is now getting plenty of intel on what is going on at various programs. There is a developing understanding for what the teams will look like, and who the breakout stars could be.
On3 released its preseason Freshman All-American team on Monday. A part of that list was two Notre Dame players, offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. One of those picks was very expected, while the other had just a slight element of surprise.
The latter was Knapp, who has been garnering headlines recently with earning some first team reps at left tackle. With Charles Jagusah lost for the season with an injury, the true freshman is now battling it out with graduate student Tosh Baker for the starting job.
Here is what On3 had to say about Knapp:
OL Anthonie Knapp – Notre Dame
“Anthonie Knapp is already running with the first team at left tackle for Notre Dame following Charles Jagusah’s season-ending injury in camp. This is a prospect that we loved at On3. He was a considerable outlier for On3 in the rankings process, finishing as a top-100 prospect, and is one who we simply loved on film. Anthonie Knapp is highly technical, he’s been coached very well at the high school level and had some of the best film that we saw, particularly senior film, at offensive line in the 2024 cycle. He has true positional versatility, he could play a number of spots on the offensive line.” — On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power
The inclusion of Knapp is a very positive one. I’m a personal advocate of letting him get a chance to start, and seeing what you have. As a recruit, he was an advanced one. While he isn’t the biggest kid right now, he makes up for it with overall athleticism and strength.
Viliamu-Asa being on the list, however, wasn’t even slightly a surprise. When it comes to advanced linebackers in the 2024 class, the former St. John Bosco star might have been at the very top of the list. Here’s what On3 had to say as out “KVA”.
LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa – Notre Dame
“Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was the most developed linebacker that we evaluated in the 2024 cycle. We felt like he was a shoo-in to be a preseason True Freshman All-American given his level of development, his elite instincts particularly defending the run, and his understanding of defensive schemes. This is a guy who we feel like is a very likely defensive captain of the future at Notre Dame, and it sounds like he is set to make an early impact in South Bend.” — On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power
As mentioned, Viliamu-Asa is a player most Notre Dame fans expected to see on the field in 2024. He’s a different type of player, who is equally as talented as he is advanced. You should expect to see a lot of him this fall.
