Rivals250 Defensive Tackle Darnell Ewell Commits To Notre Dame

Rivals250 defensive tackle Darnell Ewell committed to Notre Dame on Friday.

The Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor High School product chose the Irish over finalists Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Ohio State, he said.

“Once I saw it one time it really felt like family,” Ewell told Blue & Gold Illustrated, “and felt like the place that I belong and I just fit there.”

The 6-foot-4, 295-pounder announced his decision in front of friends and family Friday afternoon at Lake Taylor. The four-star prospect is a two-way star for coach Hank Sawyer and the Titans, also anchoring the offensive line en route to a 4A state runner-up finish in 2015.

He said he’s willing to play wherever the Irish coaches need him.

“On defense I’m willing to play wherever I’m needed,” Ewell said. “If they want me at defensive end … I’ll go defensive tackle, I’ll go offense — it doesn’t matter. I’m going to do whatever they tell me. I can play both sides of the ball … so it’s a two-way good deal they got.”

Landing Ewell gives the Irish 16 commits in the 2017 class, and gives Notre Dame seven recruits in the Rivals250.

Rated as the No. 125 player nationally, No. 8 defensive tackle and the No. 4 player in Virginia in the Class of 2017, Ewell is a major pull for Notre Dame out of a school that has sent highly rated recruits such as defensive end Jalyn Holmes and defensive back Wayne Davis to Ohio State in recent years.

But it was a visit to South Bend in late June — a trip that also included stops at Michigan and Ohio State — that sealed it for Ewell, he said. It was Ewell’s second visit to Columbus, Ohio — he also made trips to Clemson and Virginia Tech in the past.

“I really picked Notre Dame because it was different from any other school,” said Ewell, who was offered a scholarship by defensive line coach Keith Gilmore last season. “I really experienced something different, and I’d been told before to definitely come up and check the school and that I’ll fall in love with it.”

“Coach (Brian) Kelly is a really great coach and he really saw greatness in me, and if it wasn’t for the staff I wouldn’t be having this opportunity.”

Like all college coaches, Notre Dame’s are prohibited under NCAA rules from talking publicly about recruits before the player signs his letter of intent. The earliest Ewell and the rest of his recruiting class can sign is Feb. 1, 2017.

The goal all along, Ewell said, was to leave the state of Virginia.

“I was never trying to stay in Virginia,” he said. “Virginia, it’s OK, but I’m raised here and I appreciate the state, but I belong somewhere else. I’m just traveling to find that out, and I believe I found that with Notre Dame.”

Ewell said he plans on studying psychology and branching off to criminal justice at Notre Dame. That path stems from an affinity for cop movies, he said.

Academics played a key role, he said.

“Once I went up there I realized how beautiful the campus was and how much of a secure net with the academics,” Ewell said, “I felt really positive about it and I’m ready for this challenge.”

Ewell said he’ll play his senior season alongside his brother Denzel, a sophomore and the projected starting left tackle for Lake Taylor. Cheering them on will be their mother, Lashone, a security officer at Northside Middle School in Norfolk.

Lashone, Darnell said, handled the paperwork and kept track of the scholarship offers during the recruiting process.

“I don’t even read up my own articles,” Darnell said with a laugh. “It sounds ignorant, but I just do that to keep it low key state of mind and stay humble.”

Friday’s announcement capped off what Ewell called an “exhausting” recruitment. Ewell, who said he first heard from Notre Dame as a freshman in high school, said he did not enjoy being recruited.

“I’ve really got to say that I appreciate every school giving me the opportunity to come to their facility and be a part of their program, but it’s no hard feelings,” he said. “It’s all business. I just felt like Notre Dame was the place for me.”

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