Khalid Kareem Named Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl MVP
Khalid Kareem will have some hardware to put on display in his dorm room when he moves into Notre Dame next week.
The Farmington Hills four-star defensive end and Irish early enrollee recovered two fumbles and returned one for a touchdown to earn MVP honors of the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl late Sunday.
“It’s just an honor to be here,” Kareem told Fox Sports 1 after the game. “I just want to thank my family, my coaches that got me here and my teammates.”
Kareem — who was at one time committed to Alabama — anchored an East defense that forced three turnovers en route to a 28-13 win at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif.
He scooped up a botched snap late in the second quarter and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown to give the East a two-score lead. But that turned out to be just the start for MLive.com’s Detroit Defensive Player of the Year.
Early in the third quarter, the 6-4, 257-pound Kareem was in the right place at the right time and picked up a loose ball from a poor quarterback-running back exchange and raced 82 yards to set up another score for the East.
“It was a great experience,” said Kareem, who added three tackles.
While Kareem was the game’s MVP, he wasn’t the only Notre Dame commit that shined on the national stage. Rochester (N.Y.) Aquinas Institute three-star linebacker Jamir Jones picked off a pass late in the second half and finished with four tackles.
“I thought I played pretty good,” Jones said “I’m just extremely blessed to be a part of this game and it has been so much fun. It felt great to catch an interception and make a play for my team. I feel like I represented for Rochester and Notre Dame well.”
Kareem is set to enroll at Notre Dame on Jan. 11. He’s ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 18 weakside defensive in the country and No. 9 prospect in the country, but impressed all week in practice according to analyst Blair Angulo.
Jones — who is listed as the No. 44 outside linebacker — will arrive in South Bend in June. He’s the younger brother of Irish nose guard Jarron Jones and checks in at 6-4, 210 pounds.
Notre Dame can’t comment on prospective student-athletes before they arrive on campus, but that didn’t stop one coach from tweeting about the performances of Kareem and Jones.
“I see you D-Boyz of #F16htingIrish doing big things!” offensive coordinator Mike Sanford wrote.
Past MVPs of the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl include Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson, Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and Washington wide receiver Jaydon Mickens.