Notre Dame Film Room: 2024 Linebacker Bodie Kahoun

Here is a film room look at Notre Dame 2024 linebacker commit Bodie Kahoun

On Monday, Notre Dame landed a commitment from 2024 Roanoke (Va.) Patrick Henry linebacker Bodie Kahoun. The former Ohio State lacrosse commit brings an interesting athletic and physical profile to the table, having some projectability to either Mike or Will linebacker.

Let’s take a deeper look at what Kahoun brings to the field. This includes some background, including what he put on film last season.

PROSPECT PROFILE

Hometown/High School: Roanoke, Virginia / Patrick Henry

Height/Weight: 6-2/220

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Offers: Notre Dame, Florida State, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, Stanford, Utah, Maryland, NC State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, West Virginia, Duke, Indiana

FILM ROOM

Here is the Irish Breakdown film evaluation of Kahoun.

Size/Strength/Power - Kahoun brings an ideal frame to the table, standing at over 6-2 with plus length on the second level. The Virginia native already holds around 220 pounds comfortably with a frame to add a substantial amount of mass moving forward. Kahoun’s lower half is rock solid with a constantly improving power profile. He should be able to hold 235 plus pounds down the road with little issue. As he fills out, Kahoun’s initial pop and punch should improve quickly. 

There is some upside there but there is still development needed. When he brings his hips, Kahoun has an explosive lower half to stall opposing ball carriers in their tracks. Kahoun has little hesitancy getting downhill, showing the toughness to play consistently between the tackles. He is incredibly aggressive working to the perimeter, showing outstanding effort and motor to make plays in pursuit.

Athletic Skills - Kahoun’s pursuit speed may be the most underrated aspect of his game. He has some really impressive long speed and closing burst to work effectively in pursuit. Kahoun has made a variety of plays playing outside the tackle box, showing the plus range on the second level. The Virginia star shows nice initial quickness out of his trigger, quickly getting downhill in a hurry. Kahoun is also a flexible mover, showcasing change of direction skills to play in space. He remains consistently balanced and square to the line of scrimmage. There is control to play through contact and sort trash inside.

Instincts/Technique - His anticipation is surprisingly good for a player who has spent his time starring in multiple sports. There is an attention to detail that is extremely notable, showing a clear understanding for what is developing in front of him. Kahoun locates the ball quickly, using his motor and closing speed to make an array of plays in pursuit. His hands are mostly good but does need to be a little more active when working at the point of attack. Kahoun brings a nice approach as a tackler, staying square to the line of scrimmage and remaining in a power position. He is a consistent wrap up tackler who does not miss many tacklers. Playing with better pad level should be a major area of attention moving forward, helping his power profile.

Run Game - Kahoun plays with a consistent base. Once he reads out of his initial trigger, he quickly dissects and locates the football. His reaction time is really nice, quickly springing into action. Taking on blocks can be a bit inconsistent. Kahoun can have some issues with playing with enough pop in his hands but he clearly has the spatial awareness to fight blockers to the spot early on in reps. That can make his block destruction inconsistent at times but there is substantial upside in that department. Kahoun’s angles of pursuit are excellent. He has shown the talent to adjust his track to work to a landmark on the field well. Kahoun does have a strong lower half to anchor at the point of attack against contact. From a pursuit perspective, Kahoun brings a lot of upside to the table. That is one of his greatest strengths as a player.

Pass Game - The passing game is a bit of a guessing game concerning Kahoun. His film is centered around being an attack style player and doesn’t play in reverse a ton. As a pass rusher, his size and closing speed has allowed him to make a ton of plays finishing at the quarterback. Kahoun does have the requisite length and foot speed to mirror in pass coverage, making a series of plays in that regard. As a senior, it will be interesting to see if Kahoun is used in that regard more, and what type of impact he could potentially have.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Right now, Kahoun needs natural progression from a strength perspective. He has the frame to carry a substantial amount of more mass and will need to do so to play with more play strength. At the point of attack, it will help his consistency to play off of blocks and strike as a tackler.

Experience in the passing game is the other major question mark. Kahoun has the skill set to excel in that area but there just aren't many examples on film. That will be something that he will need to answer as a senior.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Kahoun has the profile where he could project favorably as a Mike linebacker in the Notre Dame system. His size allows him to play on the front side but also has the pursuit speed to play Will backer as well. There is versatility to work with on Kahoun’s side. 

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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