Why a July New York trip was a homecoming for Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey, Jayson and Justin Ademilola
Thanks to football independence, Notre Dame does not participate in the regular conference media days that the 10 FBS conferences host across the country in the waning hours of July. Coaches and a few select players gather at a regional hotel — or in the SEC’s case this year, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta — for a few days of chatting, recapping the offseason and answering questions ahead of fall camp.
Under the new leadership of head coach Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame had a quasi media day of its own. Freeman and three veteran players — defensive linemen Isaiah Foskey and Jayson and Justin Ademilola — headed to New York on July 28 for a day of media interviews on ESPN and other activities around the city. The rationale for taking those players was not stated, although their experience was surely a factor. The trip was, however, a homecoming of sorts for all three.
“That was great,” Jayson Ademilola said. “Justin and I were born in the Bronx, and my mom and dad lived there.”
The Ademilolas attended St. Peter’s Prep, one of the elite high schools in Northern New Jersey, which is around 15 miles from the Bronx. They obviously live in South Bend, but they also train there in the offseason. The trip home provided them the opportunity to relax and regroup ahead of their fifth season of college football.
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Other highlights included going to The Jimmy Fallon Show and shopping, one of the twins’ big hobbies.
“It was a cool experience,” Justin Ademilola said. “It was fun to just relax for a few days, eat good food, and see my people out there. It was a time for me to refresh my mind.”
Foskey went to Concord (Calif.) De La Salle in Northern California, but his extended family is from Queens. His grandparents still live there, and he was able to stop in for his grandmother’s birthday while he was on the East Coast.
The senior pass rusher joined Freeman for a few of his media appearances, including on College Football Live and on “Greeny,” an ESPN radio show typically hosted by Mike Greenberg. Chris Carlin was filling in for him that day, however.
The group talked about Freeman’s first year on the job, football independence, and why Foskey elected to return to Notre Dame for a fourth season despite receiving second-round grades ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“The biggest thing was losing that game against Oklahoma State,” Foskey said. “It left a bad taste in my mouth. I already knew Coach Freeman was going to be the head coach, I just wanted to come back and win a championship. I feel like this team can be the team that wins a national championship.”
With a smile, Foskey added his mom wanted him to return to Notre Dame so he could graduate this summer.
“Now I can retire her and make her life a lot easier,” Foskey added.
The day in the Big Apple ended with a trip to one of the most iconic venues in all of sports: Yankee Stadium. The Yankees ultimately topped the Kansas City Royals in a 1-0 pitching duel, and the group spent the evening in the Bronx taking it all in alongside Army head coach Jeff Monken.
“I haven’t really got a chance to go back home a lot since I’ve been in college, so it was great going to Yankee Stadium,” Jayson Ademilola said. “I looked around, and I had friends in the stands. It was awesome.”
