Notre Dame 2025 defensive end prospect Israel Oladipupo had all positive things to say about the Irish's Grill & Chill recruiting event when I spoke to him on the phone Sunday night.
The Noblesville (Ind.) High is newer to football than other recruits but caught the attention of defensive line coach Al Washington at June's Evaluation Camp I.
Oladipupo was very transparent and clear with Washington's message to him on Sunday.
"He was talking about how well I did during the camp in June and that's what got me the invite to come back today," Oladipupo told Inside ND Sports. "They're looking forward to seeing me play this season because since last year was my first real season playing football, I don't have that much film. I was able to like put myself out there at all these camps and now all he wants is for me to show myself on that football field and make it show on film."
After working out for Washington and defensive assistant Nick Sebastian last month, Sunday offered Oladipupo more time with them. He learned about their competitiveness and personalities through dodgeball and knockout games.
"They're basically player's coaches ... somebody you can go up to either with football or something else you're going through," Oladipupo said. "They're willing to coach you and tell you anything about life. Their somebody that I know I can go to in case I have questions regarding either football or something personally."
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound weakside defensive end said his favorite moment of Sunday was cooking with his assigned group of recruits on the grill. Oladipupo was in charge of the corn and mushrooms while others handled the steak.
"At the end, the recruits got into a little competition on who knows how to grill the best," Oladipupo said. "Personally, I think my team got snubbed because ours was the best out there. All the judges believed our food was good but somehow we got snubbed."
Oladipupo, who is currently unranked by Rivals, reports six total offers from Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) and Western Michigan. He's also receiving interest from Notre Dame, Penn State and Purdue.
"It was really fun out there," Oladipupo said. "It was a great experience being around all that talent and all these four-stars and three-stars ... [it] made me feel better about myself."
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