Committed to play for Pennsylvania, this Southern California native ultimately re-found his way to Notre Dame and his Irish roots.
Senior safety Eamon McOsker knew a thing or two about Notre Dame – with his dad, sister and brother all Domers – when he decided to retract his decision to play for the Quakers and instead join the Irish roster as a preferred walk-on.
“My dad went here so growing up I was always a Notre Dame fan,” McOsker said. “I grew up watching Notre Dame football on Saturday mornings, and then in high school, I started looking around at other schools, including some of the Ivy leagues and D-I programs.
“Then I visited here. I re-fell in love with the place and decided to come. It’s been a great experience.”
And a very well-rounded experience at that.
“Everything [about Notre Dame has been most memorable],” McOsker said. “This school is great — the people, faculty, the coaches are all great. I love Notre Dame.”
“Go Irish,” he spiritedly added.
But when it comes to game time, there’s one Rudy-esque moment that stands out for the 5-foot-11.5, 205-pound safety.
“There’s nothing like running out of the locker room and tunnel on Saturdays,” McOsker said. “It’s a unique, awesome experience.
“I still remember my first time freshman year running out of the tunnel. I got chills down my spine.”
That same chill-sending feeling especially struck McOsker his freshman year when the Irish went 12-0 to make it to the BCS Championship Game, eventually falling 42-14 to Alabama on Jan. 7, 2013.
“That whole freshman year, national championship season was great,” McOsker said. “The national championship itself was an awesome experience.
“Up until about a couple minutes into the first quarter,” he added with a laugh.
And it’s no surprise the San Pedro, California, native and Loyola Academy alum would revel in having the chance to take on his local rival, USC. During his Notre Dame career, McOsker and the Irish have fared 3-1 against the Trojans. The Irish won, 22-13, in 2012 to get the national championship nod and won the following season, 14-10. The Trojans crushed the Irish, 49-14, last year. But, luckily for McOsker, he ended on a 41-31 victory over USC at home Oct. 17.
“Beating USC, especially this year, has definitely stood out to me,” McOsker said. “Being from Southern California and after that whooping we had last year, it was nice to have a great performance, with both sides of the ball playing well.”
McOsker said he’s pleased with the work the defense has put in this year as the team chases a berth in the College Football Playoff.
“We’ve been working on being a more consistent defense,” McOsker said. “We had times when we played really well and when we haven’t played that great, so the goal this year has been to get everyone on the same page to play the highest level for four quarters.”
“ … We’re another year smarter in our defensive scheme. We have some playmakers on the offense, everyone on the team gets along, and we have a really special, unique bond, which is important in reaching the national championship. We’re playing well and finishing our games.”
After his senior year comes to an end, the finance major will be tackling his next competition on a different field than Notre Dame Stadium — the job search in the business world.
“I’m trying to figure out my plans for next year, but hopefully, I’ll be back in Los Angeles,” McOsker said. “I’ve been looking into a lot of different sectors in finance.
“Senior year has been busy, and school and football are challenging — but they’re helping me get ready for the next chapter of my life.”
