Notre Dame Lands Duke Defensive End R.J. Oben

Notre Dame has picked up another huge transfer commitment with former Duke defensive end R.J. Oben announcing his transfer decision. Oben visited Notre Dame this weekend and the Irish clearly made a strong impression.

Oben comes to Notre Dame after spending the past five seasons at Duke. He was a regular part of the Blue Devil defensive line rotation the last three seasons while playing the field end/big end position. He's been steadily productive in each season.

Over the last three seasons, Oben racked up 62 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Oben was also credited with five forced fumbles during that stretch.

The 6-4, 260-pound veteran registered 17 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2023 for a Duke defense that ranked 25th in efficiency according to the FEI. Duke also ranked 22nd in scoring defense this season, 

According to Pro Football Focus, Oben racked up 93 total quarterback hurries over the last three seasons. In 2023, Oben tied for the team lead with 27 total hurries, and 13 of those hurries ended with either a sack or a hit on the quarterback, which led the defense. His 37 total hurries in 2022 was second on the defense and his 29 hurries in 2021 was also second on the defense.

For context, former Irish standout edge Isaiah Foskey registered 65 quarterback pressures on 595 total pass snaps in 2021-22. In his final two seasons at Duke, Oben racked up 64 quarterback pressures on 562 total pass snaps in 2022-23.

Notre Dame has a lot of talent and potential returning to its end position in 2024, but the unit will be quite young after losing veterans Javontae Jean-Baptiste and NaNa Osafo-Mensah. Landing Oben gives the Irish a much-needed veteran presence at the field end position to mix with the talented younger players.