Aaron Lynch transferring to South Florida

While it's been rumored for a while, it appears that Notre Dame defensive end Aaron Lynch is officially transferring to South Florida.

The school issued a release on Monday confirming the transfer, and Lynch will begin classes at USF in a summer session beginning on June 25.

“With Aaron originally being from Florida, we're very familiar with the kind of player he is,” USF head coach Skip Holtz said in the release. “Aaron had a great freshman season at Notre Dame and we're excited to welcome him into the Bulls family.”

It's easy to see why Holtz would be excited, as Lynch was considered one of the top players in the 2011 recruiting class before he chose Notre Dame over schools that were closer to home like Florida and Florida State. Lynch reportedly began to miss home while away in South Bend.

In his freshman season at Notre Dame, Lynch played in 12 games, starting six of them. He recorded 33 tackles, 7 for a loss, and had 5.5 sacks. He was named a Freshman All-American for his efforts.