Notre Dame Prospect Profile: D.J. Wesolak, Defensive End

Notre Dame is targeting 2022 Missouri defensive end D.J. Wesolak

Notre Dame already has two defensive ends in the 2022 class, but the staff is pushing for more, and Boonville (Mo.) High School big man D.J. Wesolak is a top remaining target.

D.J. WESOLAK PROFILE

Hometown: Boonville, Missouri
High School: Boonville High School

Height: 6-5
Weight: 230

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

2020 Stats: 59 tackles, 19 TFL, 8 sacks

Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, Texas A&M, Penn State, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Washington, Stanford, Nebraska, Arkansas, Louisville, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Purdue, West Virginia, Virginia, Boston College, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas State, Minnesota, Arizona State, Colorado, California, Duke, Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Vanderbilt

Recruited By: Mike Elston

RECRUITING RANKINGS

ESPN: 4-star - No. 92 overall - No. 10 defensive end
247Sports: 4-star - No. 203 overall - No. 10 weakside end
Rivals: 4-star - No. 14 weakside end
Composite: 4-star - No. 174 overall - No. 10 weakside end

FILM ANALYSIS

Wesolak has impressive size with a powerful frame. The Boonville standout is listed at 6-5 and 230 pounds, and he has the kind of top-notch length that Notre Dame loves in its edge players. Despite already being listed at 230 pounds, there is plenty of room left for Wesolak to keep filling out. He’ll be an easy 250-plus pounds early in his career, and I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if he tops 250 before he arrives on campus at whatever college he picks.

Right now Wesolak is more about tools and upside than anything else, but those tools are impressive. On top of excellent length, Wesolak shows an impressive burst off the line, at least when he keeps his pads low. The Boonville standout shows impressive open field speed and closing speed, which helps him thrive as a pass rusher at the prep level.

Wesolak is a power player with strong hands, and right now those traits are most obvious in the pass game, where his ability to quickly get off the line, power through blockers and use his long arms to get them off his body allows him to make a lot of plays in the backfield. Wesolak put up impressive numbers as a junior (17 TFL, 9 sacks), and it was mostly due to his raw tools, which are top-notch.

Wesolak has a tendency to play way too high at times, and that causes him to narrow his base. When that happens he loses his power and can get knocked around by bigger players. When he keeps his base and keeps his pads low he’s able to anchor effectively, and he projects to be very, very good at setting the edge with more technical work.

Wesolak is a high-energy player and he’s aggressive. Once his technique catches up to his tools you’ll see his game really take off. He projects best as a strongside end at the next level.

Junior Highlights

GRADE KEY

5.0 - Elite player
4.5 - All-American caliber player
4.0 - Multi-year starter
3.5 - Key role player / Late career-starter
3.0 - Backup

Past Prospect Profiles

TE Jack Nickel - Notre Dame Commit
OL Joey Tanona - Notre Dame Commit
OL Ty Chan - Notre Dame Commit
DE Tyson Ford - Notre Dame Commit
DE Aiden Gobaira - Notre Dame Commit
LB Nolan Ziegler - Notre Dame Commit

QB Gavin Wimsatt
RB Dallan Hayden
RB Jadarian Price
RB Nicholas Singleton
WR Kaleb Brown
WR Tobias Merriweather
WR Kaden Saunders
OL Jake Taylor

DE Cyrus Moss
LB Sebastian Cheeks
LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka
S Xavier Nwankpa
CB Toriano Pride

Related Content

Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers

Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board

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