American football defensive end (born 2001)
Roman "RJ " Oben Jr. (born June 17, 2001) is an American football defensive end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . He previously played for the Duke Blue Devils .
Early life and high school
Raised in Montclair, New Jersey , Oben attended high school at St. Peter's Preparatory School .[ 1] Coming out of high school Oben was rated as a three-star recruit where he decided to commit to play college football for the Duke Blue Devils .[ 2] [ 3]
College career
Duke
In Oben's first season in 2019, he played in four games, making just one tackle before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.[ 4] In the 2020 season, Oben made four tackles with half a tackle being for a loss.[ 5] In the 2021 season, Oben totaled 25 tackles, with seven going for a loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception, and a pass breakup.[ 6] During the 2022 season, Oben notched 20 tackles with six and a half being for a loss, four and a half sacks, and two forced fumbles.[ 7] In the 2023 season, Oben tallied 17 tackles, with six going for a loss, and five sacks.[ 8] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Oben decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal.[ 9]
In Oben's career with the Blue Devils, he recorded 67 tackles with 20 being for a loss, 14 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception.[ 10]
Notre Dame
Oben decided to transfer to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .[ 11] [ 12]
College statistics
Year
Team
Games
Tackles
Interceptions
Fumbles
GP
GS
Total
Solo
Ast
Sack
PD
Int
Yds
TD
FF
FR
TD
2019
Duke
4
0
1
0
1
0.0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2020
Duke
9
0
4
1
3
0.0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2021
Duke
12
10
25
14
11
5.0
0
1
8
0
3
0
0
2022
Duke
13
12
20
11
9
4.5
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
2023
Duke
12
11
17
7
10
5.0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2024
Notre Dame
3
3
3
2
1
0.0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Career
53
36
70
35
35
14.5
1
1
8
0
5
0
0
Personal life
RJ is short for 'Roman Junior' and is the son of former NFL offensive tackle Roman Oben .[ 13] [ 14]
References
^ RJ Oben , Notre Dame Fighting Irish football . Accessed January 27, 2024. "Hometown: Montclair, NJ;: High School: St. Peter's Prep"
^ "Football: St. Peter's R.J. Oben, Ayir Asante pick their colleges" . NJ.com . July 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Friedman, Adam. "New Jersey DE R.J. Oben announces his commitment to Duke" . Rivals.com . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Auman, Greg (November 7, 2020). "Thirty sons of ex-Bucs will (off)spring into action this college football season" . The Athletic . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ "R.J. Oben 2020 Game Logs" . Sports Reference . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Roberts, Ryan (December 14, 2023). "Notre Dame Is Getting Versatile Pass Rush Threat In RJ Oben" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Kelly, Kyle (December 13, 2023). "Transfer Portal: Former Duke DL R.J. Oben commits to Notre Dame football" . On3.com . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Farmer, Douglas (December 13, 2023). "Duke defensive end RJ Oben transfers to Notre Dame, a pass-rush specialist filling a hole on the Irish defense" . NBC Sports . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Connolly, Matt (December 2023). "Duke EDGE RJ Oben enters transfer portal" . On3.com . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ "Notre Dame Lands DE Grad Transfer RJ Oben" . Irish Sports Daily . December 13, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Driskell, Bryan (December 20, 2023). "Notre Dame Signs Transfer Defensive End R.J. Oben" . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Weber, Alex (December 13, 2023). "Notre Dame lands transfer commitment from Duke EDGE RJ Oben" . On3.com . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Hunt, Todderick (June 8, 2017). "R.J. Oben, son of former N.Y. Giant Roman Oben, earns Rutgers offer" . NJ.com . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
^ Berardino, Mike (December 13, 2023). "More transfer help on the way from Duke: Edge rusher R.J. Oben joins Notre Dame football" . South Bend Tribune . Retrieved January 27, 2024 .
External links