April 15--Like big brother, like little brother.
Julian Okwara, younger brother of Notre Dame senior defensive lineman Romeo Okwara, announced Tuesday on Twitter his oral commitment to play football for the Irish.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end is a junior from Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell.
The four-star recruit picked Notre Dame over Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and Ole Miss.
"Notre Dame felt like the right place ... academically and as a football player," Okwara said in a statement he tweeted. "Being on that campus opened my eyes to many opportunities. ... It felt like I was already part of the team up there."
Okwara, who is ranked as the 186th overall prospect by 247sports.com and No. 11 weak-side defensive end, mentioned Notre Dame's business school as one of the reasons why he chose the Irish.
About 15 minutes after Okwara's tweet, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly sent a simple message of his own via the social media network.
"#WeAreND"
Okwara is Kelly's fifth Class of 2016 commitment, joining Nazareth athlete Julian Love, Loyola long-snapper John Shannon, IMG Academy (Fla.) running back Tony Jones and Cincinnati Elder High offensive tackle Tommy Kraemer.
pskrbina@tribpub.com
