Notre Dame DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste Added To Senior Bowl Roster

On Tuesday, former Notre Dame defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste has officially listed as a participate in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Jean-Baptiste was originally slated to participate in the East-Shrine Bowl that started over the weekend, but chose not to participate with the Senior Bowl call up in the works.

Irish Breakdown became aware of the addition of Jean-Baptiste on Monday but wasn’t officially added until Tuesday morning. 

The Senior Bowl is considered the top predraft All Star event every year, which will welcome over 100 of the top NFL Draft prospects to Mobile, Alabama. Jean-Baptiste will be the fifth former Irish standout to participate in this year’s event, joining quarterback Sam Hartman, cornerback Cam Hart, and linebackers JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau.

After a five year career with the Ohio State Buckeye, the 6-4, 260-pound defensive end opted to transfer to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility. He initially planned on potentially entering the 2023 NFL Draft with some late round grades from the NFL. Ultimately Jean-Baptiste believed that one final year in college would be beneficial for him long term.

In his lone season, Jean-Baptiste put together his most productive one on the college level by a long shot. In the five years with Ohio State, he recorded 51 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and eight sacks. In 13 games for the Irish, Jean-Baptiste recorded 49 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

When Jean-Baptiste originally opted for the Irish, he was viewed as a veteran addition who would at least add some solid depth to the rotation. The senior exceeded those expectations, developing into one of Notre Dame's unsung heroes from this past season.

Jean-Baptiste now gets his draft process started on Tuesday when he travels down to Mobile to compete against the country’s best. Having a big week will only help him, especially as a player that is still viewed as a late round prospect with time to impress.