Ohio State Defensive End Javontae Jean-Baptiste Commits To Notre Dame

Former Ohio State defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste has decided to transfer to Notre Dame for his final season of college football

Notre Dame has added another important transfer today with former Ohio State defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste committing to the Fighting Irish. This marks the sixth incoming transfer player that Notre Dame has landed this offseason.

The New Jersey native finished his Buckeye career with 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He finished the 2022 season with 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Ohio State had one of the deepest edge rotations in the country the last two seasons, and Jean-Baptiste was a key part of that rotation.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jean-Baptiste had a 16.0% win rate as a pass rusher, which was second among Ohio State defensive ends that were part of regular rotation. It was better than Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey, who had a 14.5% win rate in 2022 and a 14.2% win rate in 2021.

The 6-5, 250-pound end gives the Irish a huge boost in length and experience on the edge, something Notre Dame needed in this cycle. He projects as a defensive end in the Notre Dame defense and could also play a similar third-down/nickel role to former edge Justin Ademilola.

By adding Baptiste to the defensive end (big end) spot, Notre Dame has provided the front with much-needed depth. It also gives the staff a lot more flexibility. If they didn't add a player of this caliber to the position, the Irish would have had a tough time making a move to help other spots. With Baptiste now on board, Notre Dame can strongly consider moving 2022 big end Rylie Mills inside and still be in good position at the end spot.

Baptiste will now join an end competition that includes NaNa Osafo-Mensah, Alexander Ehrensberger and others. 

Jean-Baptiste was ranked as a four-star recruit coming out of Bergen Catholic in Oradell, N.J. He was ranked as the nation's No. 127 overall player and the No. 10 outside linebacker according to 247Sports. He signed with Ohio State as a member of the 2018 recruiting class and will be a sixth year senior in 2023.

Jean-Baptiste joins quarterback Sam Hartman (Wake Forest), wide receiver Kaleb Smith (Virginia Tech), defensive back Thomas Harper (Oklahoma State), placekicker Spencer Shrader (South Florida) and punter Ben Krimm (Penn) as transfers into Notre Dame so far this offseason.

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