Notre Dame defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste will be a sixth-year transfer student this season with the Fighting Irish.
Jean-Baptiste transferred from the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team for which he originally committed, back in 2017.
Jean-Baptise recorded eight sacks, 10.5 tackles for a loss, and 53 total tackles during his time in Columbus.
However, he’s looking for new surroundings, and the veteran transfer spoke with Sports Illustrated about his new life in South Bend.
Jean-Baptise cited his position coach Al Washington, who worked under Ryan Day as linebackers coach in Columbus, as a big reason he made the move west.
“Just opportunity on the field and connections to coaches. Seeing and talking to (Notre Dame defensive line) Coach (Al Washington) and having that connection with him …. Even talking to Marcus Freeman who is an Ohio State alum,” Jean-Baptise told the outlet.
“I like this place because it’s a traditional place. Notre Dame for me, if you want to obtain a goal, and you want to be really focused on it, you come here.”
But, again, having Washington in the fold certainly sounds like it impacted the decision the most.
“Coach Wash, at first when he came into the building at Ohio State, as it always is with new coaches, they’re around and stuff. You get to talking to coaches like that, and then from there, just building a relationship with him. Talking to him during workouts there throughout the years, and just always like going to his room to have conversations with him. Just checking in with him.”
“I would say we got close. Just because we weren’t in the same meeting room or the same position group, when you’re part of the same defense it’s all the same coaches, so you listen to them all the time.”
Only time will tell how Jean-Baptise impacts the Irish’s season.
