One sure fire way for a college athlete to find his way onto the field is to be versatile. The more positions you can play, the more likely you are to get onto the field. Notre Dame’s James Onwualu has shown to be as versatile as they come.
As a true freshman last year, Onwualu started four games as a wide receiver and caught two passes. His true impact was felt on special teams, as he made six tackles including a bone-crunching hit in his debut against the Temple Owls.
Seeing his penchant for throwing big hits, Brian Kelly and new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder moved the Saint Paul, Minnesota native to the defensive side. It wasn’t overly surprising, as from the get-go Kelly dropped the hint of the possibility of Onwualu playing defense.
“Versatile player, he’s going to be on the offensive side of the ball, but if we ever got in a bind he certainly could play defense, as well.”
His adaptability, physicality, and athleticism have certainly been on display in bunches as he went from starting receiver to starting strong-side linebacker or “SAM” position (with a brief stop at safety in between), not an easy transition to go through. From day one though, Onwualu’s natural gifts have propelled him to the top of the depth chart.
“He’s smart, he’s learned well, very physical player and his effort—his effort has been extraordinary,” said outside linebacker coach Bob Elliot before the season started.
Onwualu made three tackles in his debut at the linebacker position and with the a game against the arch rival Michigan Wolverines and athletic quarterback Devin Gardner next week, he has an opportunity to truly shine.
Kelly has made some stars out of players after changing positions. Troy Niklas was an outside linebacker his freshman year, only to make the move to the offensive side of ball and become a second round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals at the tight end position. Austin Collingsworth, Matthias Farley and KeiVarre Russell all started their Irish careers on the opposite side of the ball.
Arguably none of them came onto campus with the physical mindset that Onwualu did, so this move was more a matter of ‘when’ as opposed to ‘if’.
“It might be a year where it gets to the point where it makes sense to him why we’re doing what we’re doing but he’s such a champion kid, his standards and expectations of himself are way up there and he’ll outwork you. It’s important to him. He’s going to study, detail his work and he’s just getting better and better,” said Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder.
So he was able to climb from the wrong side of the ball all the way to being a starter without having a full grasp on the defense? Just imagine the potential when he does and then pair that with the likes of Jaylon Smith.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter @AMurphyLWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter @LastWordOnSport and liking our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!
Main Photo: South Bend Tribune/ROBERT FRANKLIN
