Name: Owen Wafle
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 280 lbs.
High school: Princeton (NJ) The Hun School
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Wafle was a senior in high school (LINK). He made 16 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
TTB Rating: 73
Wafle was a flip from Notre Dame and is known for his quickness and versatility. He could play defensive tackle or perhaps defensive end, and I even threw out the idea that he could end up as a fullback. He has a younger brother, Luke, who is a top-200 player being recruited by Michigan as an edge player and a tight end end by various schools for 2026. Versatility is the name of the game in the Wafle household.
Owen Wafle is one of those guys who I could see working his way into playing time as a freshman. If Greg Mattison were still the defensive line coach, I would think Wafle would play early. I'm largely unfamiliar with how new defensive line coach Lou Esposito will rotate and reward his guys, so that's a question mark. It would be a huge surprise for Wafle to make a big impact in 2024, but he could get a little bit of playing time to prepare him for 2025, when there's a good chance that both Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant will be in the NFL.
Prediction: Redshirt
In my heart of hearts I'd love to see Owen Wafle (what a great name for a fireplug DT!) be "the next Mason Graham." That's probably a bit of a stretch, but a man can hope. I wonder what kind of weight target they might give Wafle to put on his 6'2" frame?
ReplyDeleteUnless he hits a growth spurt, I wouldn't imagine him playing much over 290.
DeleteTrust ND recruiting in the trenches ... even if Waffle isn't ready immediately, he will be fine
ReplyDelete