Thanks to some video by OCVarsity.com, here’s some great behind the scenes video of Troy Niklas, a member of Notre Dame’s incredible defensive line class.
[vodpod id=Video.5519196&w=425&h=350&fv=%40videoPlayer%3D776524870001%26amp%3BplayerID%3D23589117001+%26amp%3Bdomain%3Dembed%26amp%3B]
After spending just five minutes with Troy and his family (in the video), it isn’t hard to understand why he’s such a high character kid and also why it was so hard for anybody to have a real understanding of where Troy was planning to go, all the way up until Signing Day morning.
Having an older brother go through the recruiting process probably helped the Niklas family keep the recruiting services at bay, part of why the decision was such a surprise for both ND fans and the coaching staff themselves, with a jovial Brian Kelly interrupting UND.com’s live coverage with the news that Niklas was chosing Notre dame.
As you can gather from the video, it sounds as if Niklas will enter Notre Dame with a shot to play on the defensive line as well as at tight end, helping to explain the ‘Big Skill’ designation. If Niklas adds enough weight to his frame, he’d also make an intriguing offensive tackle prospect, with his obvious athleticism and unteachable size giving the coaching staff plenty to work with.