RJ Oben #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish poses after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Notre Dame presents many intriguing 2025 NFL Draft following a bounceback season that saw the Fighting Irish make a national title game appearance. And among the names to watch is defensive end RJ Oben.
Oben finished out the season with 19 combined tackles (10 solo) with one sack and one forced fumble. He ends his college career between Duke and Notre Dame with 86 combined tackles (43 solo), 15.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, one pass defended and one interception.
Heading into the NFL Draft, the 6-foot-3, 262-pounder is confident in what he brings to the table as a prospect.
“I think I bring a great level of technique and physicality, just attention to detail, a high motor and a guy who is going to work as hard as he can,” Oben told RG.
In addition to the naturally given talent that Oben bestows, he also gives a lot of credit to the coaching staff and the defensive scheme in which he was placed in that makes him a better player.
And one who is fully prepared for what the modern era of the NFL demands from the position.
“Our defensive coordinator [Al Golden] is an absolute defensive mastermind who put me in a lot of different positions in terms of being all along the defensive front," Oben told. "They taught me an array of techniques and working on different sides of the field."
That aspect particularly made Oben a better player, he says, because of the challenge it presented and the way he was able to adapt.
He added that he believes he has specifically made strides within the past year of his career – his lone season with the Fighting Irish.
“That is something I was not originally used to, and it definitely helped me to expand my versatility and refine techniques,” Oben continued.
“You know, seeing the ball and working my hands, affecting the pass game and being a ball hawk, working on ball obstruction and getting it out of people’s hands. I feel like I particularly grew in that area this past year.”
Oben had a chance to show that at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, and took full advantage of the opportunity, as his explosiveness and ability to deliver play in and play out caught the attention of scouts all over the NFL.
“I think I’m just here to prove that I deserve to be here, and I deserve to be considered one of the best guys here and that any NFL team would be lucky to have me,” Oben told RG at the time in Mobile. “I’m one of the most physical guys here who can set the edge among the best, and that I can rush the passer among the best of anyone here.”
In that same event, he had the opportunity to share the same football field with quarterback Riley Leonard, who also was a transfer from Duke. The two have shared a very similar ride that was filled with ups and downs, but they’re optimistic as to just where the future may take them.
“We went from winning very few games per year to winning 14, 15 games. I was so excited to go work with him and have the opportunity to play alongside my brother, regardless of the circumstance, regardless of how many people are watching,” Oben said.
Leonard and Oben were a part of an unbelievable rebound after Notre Dame was written off when the team suffered an 16-14 upset loss to NIU, only to win every single game after that and put the doubts to rest with an appearance on college football’s highest stage.
“Coach [Marcus] Freeman told us to always keep that pain and to never forget that loss to NIU,” Oben said. “To know that we can never be satisfied and that we need to reload every week and use those moments.”
Oben says the team had the mentality that each and every contest was a playoff game after they took that fall to the Huskies.
The adversity continued as the injury bug bit Notre Dame at some points, but the team rose to the occasion.
“The team, the culture, we had a lot of guys go down, but we also had a lot of guys who stepped up and showed just how much the guys come together,” Oben said. “So, I am excited to be a part of that.”
He describes the feeling in one word as “rewarding” for himself, Leonard and the rest of his teammates.
“Knowing that we went in on this journey together, and I think we left that place better than we found it,” Oben said. “I was happy to have done that with [Riley Leonard].”
It will be interesting to see where both prospects land when the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway in April, in addition to the other Notre Dame prospects who will be taking their careers to the pros.
Crissy Froyd
