Recruiting: Notre Dame In Pursuit Of Elite 2022 Offensive Tackle
Not since Notre Dame signed Sam Young back in 2006 have the Irish landed a big-time offensive tackle from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. The Irish are in the hunt for one of the Raiders best offensive tackles from the class of 2022, Julian Armella.
Within the past five years, the Irish only garnered one position player from St. Thomas Aquinas, current starting Mike linebacker Drew White. Lots of good players keep coming out of the Fort Lauderdale juggernaut.
Just this past year, the Raiders produced five prospects that signed with SEC programs, and two of those five being offensive tackles that signed with LSU. Maybe the Irish will be the next program to sign an elite offensive tackle from Aquinas.
I was able to sit down with Armella, which helped me learn more about him beyond what is obvious on film.
Armella became acquainted with football at an early age. His father, Enzo Armella, played at Florida State (1991-1994). As a middle school student, the younger Armella attended the Tallahassee campus for camps.
While only a sophomore heading into his junior campaign, the 6-6, 315-pound Armella already received offers from many major programs, including programs such as Florida State, Florida, Miami, Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU, Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State.
As for his more recent offers, Armella provided some interesting comments.
“Some of them were Oregon, we had Notre Dame; that’s a big one,” Armella stated. “It’s a very good offensive line school. They have a lot of really good linemen coming out of there.”
Many top 2022 prospects take the opportunity to go to camps before their junior year. Armella has a different plan.
“I don’t really see myself going to any camps, but I am most definitely going to take a couple visits.” Armella explained. “This spring and summer I’m trying to go to Alabama and LSU.”
Armella is a massive player at any early age. He also shows leadership and maturity at a young age.
“The main thing with the whole leadership thing, since we just came off a state title, we have an even bigger target on our back,” Armella explained. “St. Thomas (Aquinas) has always been known as a powerhouse school. So now that we have a state championship and national championship, every team, it’s going to be their state championship. It’s going to be their goal to beat us and make headlines.”
Armella went on to describe the vision that Aquinas provides everyone inside the program.
“The things that make us different from the rest of the group are the family, the tradition, the excellence,” said the talented young tackle. “Every time we have a practice we always shake it up. (Head) Coach Roger Harriott always makes us know every player’s name, makes us know everything about them, their family life. There’s 125 kids!
“But once everybody has a mutual respect for everybody, and you hang out, you see each other at practice, you see each other at school, over time it builds a good bond,” he continued. “Later, that returns on the field.”
Armella also provided some insight on some of the players he goes up against in practice, including a specific incoming transfer.
“The defensive line looks very good. We’ve got some good linebackers. Dallas Turner, he’s one of the defensive ends. He’s a really good guy. I’m going to be going against him all year.”
Turner is a national recruit that transferred from American Heritage to Aquinas for the spring semester, and SEC schools are in hot pursuit. As Armella noted, he will get better playing against Turner every day in practice.
To prepare for this next season, Armella also announced some of his physical goals.
“Between now and fall, the one thing I want to make sure I do is gain more muscle,” stated Armella “I want to get stronger, faster, just overall make myself a better athlete than I was the previous two years. And I’m trying to win another state championship, and lead the best that I can with this group.”
For such a young player, Armella came across as mature and focused. Meeting him helped to define why so many schools already extended scholarship offers. This young man will more or less be able to pick his school, and it’s easy to see why Notre Dame already extended an offer.
