Former Notre Dame DE Nana Osafo-Mensah commits to TCU
Former Notre Dame defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah has a new team. The graduate student will spend his last year of eligibility in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, as he committed to TCU on Friday.
Osafo-Mensah’s commitment makes two former Irish players who have found new homes in the transfer portal. The first was senior wide receiver Chris Tyree, who will play his final season of college football at Virginia.
Osafo-Mensah played all 25 games for the Irish over the last two seasons, mostly as a reserve strong-side defensive end. He started this year’s season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland.
Osafo-Mensah was the backup to Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste at the strong-side defensive end position. Jean-Baptiste played 496 snaps in 12 regular season games. Osafo-Mensah played 252, down from the 279 he was on the field for in 13 games in 2023. He hit the 200 mark in each of the last three seasons after missing all of 2020 with an injury, though.
The graduate defensive end came to Notre Dame as the No. 17 edge rusher in the class of 2019 according to the On3 Consensus Recruiting Rankings. He played in 39 games across five seasons at Notre Dame. He finished his career with 48 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss. He also had a forced fumble and five sacks.
Osafo-Mensah was spotted walking off the field at Notre Dame Stadium with tears in his eyes following the Irish’s 45-7 Senior Day victory over Wake Forest on Nov. 18. The writing was on the wall then that he probably played his final game in South Bend, and he made it official Nov. 27.
“I can’t thank you enough for guiding me and molding me into the person I am now,” Osafo-Mensah wrote in a social media graphic announcing this decision to transfer. “The appreciation and love I have for the coaching staff, support staff and all of my teammates will never fade, as I will always embrace being a part of the Irish Family. It has been an absolute honor to represent this team throughout my time here in the Blue and Gold.”
“After earning two degrees from the University of Notre Dame, I will be entering the transfer portal looking to find a new home for my last year of eligibility. I will always have LOVE for the Irish, and I am excited for my next opportunity.”
