Nana Osafo-Mensah says he's torn heading into his UT official visit
Over the last few months, the Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish had squared off in a key recruiting battle for top defensive back Kenyatta Watson. That fight came to an end on Tuesday when Watson chose the Longhorns.
The two programs still have one more score that needs to be settled, as the Longhorns and Irish are the last two standing for top defensive end prospect Nana Osafo-Mensah. The Fort Worth Nolan Catholic product has already taken an official visit to Notre Dame, and he’ll be in Austin this weekend for his final visit. He’ll announce his final decision on May 19. Heading into this weekend’s visit, the Rivals250 member said the race is too close to call.
“I’ve seen the predictions, but honestly, if I could predict for myself, it’s like 50/50 right now,” Osafo-Mensah said. “I honestly don’t know. If I was asked to commit right now, I really couldn’t because I don’t know where I’m going to go.”
When it does come time to decide, Osafo-Mensah said he’ll sit down and value the input of those close to him. His family will accompany him on this weekend’s visit to Texas, and Osafo-Mensah said they’ll help him come to a final decision.
“For this next visit, I really want to see my family’s reaction. My family loved Notre Dame and that was a really good thing. So I just want to see how they feel about Texas,” he said. “Even though I know it’s not them going to college, I really cherish my family’s opinion on where I’ll go to college. This process wasn’t just done by myself without the support of my family so I want them to be able to take some part in it too.
“Since they’re both so close, the thing about it, I ask myself the question, sit down with my family and say ‘Where could you go if football was to come to an end for you, where would you still enjoy your four years?’ That’s a big thing.”
The 6-4, 215-pound Osafo-Mensah visited Texas earlier this spring and came away impressed. This weekend he’ll get a deeper experience and said he’s ready to see what his future could hold.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like as a student-athlete there,” Osafo-Mensah said. “I’ve already seen what Notre Dame provides. I’ve been (to Texas) on an unofficial, but I want to be able to stay with the players there, see what it’s like to be an athlete on the campus, see what it’s like in the classroom, what it’s like in weight training, what it’s like socially, all that stuff.
Last weekend, Osafo-Mensah took part in The Opening camp in Dallas, and he put on a clinic. He was virtually unblockable in 1-on-1s and took him defensive line MVP honors when the day was done.
“I felt great. This was a camp I’ve been looking forward to since last year,” Osafo-Mensah said after the event ended. “To have the opportunity to come out here and play with the best of the best … it was awesome. … Being out here to compete and being able to get the (DL) MVP means so much to me. Honestly, it’s like a dream come true.”