Notre Dame has landed a major priority in the 2020 class today with Brighton (Colo.) Mullen defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina announcing his pledge to the Irish.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder picked Notre Dame over Ohio State and Florida, but also held offers from the likes of USC, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Wisconsin, Virginia and Colorado.
Before he publicly committed, Keanaaina went in-depth with Blue & Gold Illustrated about why the Irish stood above over the rest.
“I’ve always had a sense about Notre Dame since I first visited in the summer,” Keanaaina began. “That experience has always been the top of all of my visits. My mom would say that she could tell I would compare every visit to that Notre Dame one. I know Notre Dame will be a great place for me because of the people and culture there.
“Coach Mike Elston always told me I was a priority for them, and that my personality fits exactly what Notre Dame wants in a player. They feel I fit perfectly there. It really showed how much they cared getting me with the time and effort they put into and actually coming out here to my school to check in on me.”
Keanaaina’s relationship with Elston played a major role in the four-star prospect’s decision.
“Coach Elston is a great coach with a lot of experience,” Keanaaina noted of the Irish assistant. “He can be hard on you when you need that, and he can be that person you can really talk to. That’s one thing I really enjoyed.
“Our relationship has definitely been growing and still is. We’re still getting to know more and more about each other. He’s understanding more about me as a player and how he’s going to be able to coach me and how I will develop.”
Even though he thought highly of the Buckeyes and Gators, Keanaaina couldn’t pass on Notre Dame.
“It was a hard decision,” Keanaaina explained. “I had a top three of Notre Dame, Florida and Ohio State. With Ohio State, coach Tony Alford was my area recruiter. I had an amazing relationship with him. It was hard for me to not go there. What made it a little easier was knowing he wasn’t my position coach.
“For Florida, I had an amazing visit there too. Coach Dan Mullen really made me feel welcomed. Being in the SEC too with top competition and knowing who Florida is [was intriguing]. Florida’s atmosphere is nothing compared to Notre Dame, so that’s what really had me decided on Notre Dame.”
Keanaaina was the top interior target for Notre Dame in 2020, and the Colorado product is looking forward to getting to learn from Elston.
“Especially at that one-technique spot, I could provide even more penetration being able to get through that gap and cause problems in the backfield in the run and pass game,” Keanaaina said. “I feel I’m a great pressure player and great penetrator.”
Keanaaina enjoyed being recruited, but is glad he will be able to shift that focus elsewhere.
“It’s definitely a fun process at the beginning,” Keanaaina said. “It’s fun to get all the attention and have all of that. Over time, it starts to become hard with school, football and everything else going on with life to have all the conversations or remember to call coaches. I’m very happy that it’s going to slow down a little bit.”
The new Irish commit is planning to return to South Bend this April for his official visit to watch the Irish go through spring ball and get a better feel of campus life when students are in town.
Notre Dame now has five total commitments in 2020 and four four-star prospects with Keanaaina joining Rivals100 quarterback Drew Pyne and Rivals250 tight ends Kevin Bauman and Michael Mayer. Germany defensive end Alexander Ehrensberger has yet to be given a ranking by Rivals.
Assuming he signs with the Irish, it will be the fourth-straight year Notre Dame will add a four-star defensive tackle to the roster joining Darnell Ewell (2017), Jayson Ademilola (2018), Jacob Lacey (2019) and Hunter Spears (2019).
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