Notre Dame picked up its fifth commitment of the 2020 class, and it’s a big one, figuratively and literally. The Fighting Irish met a major need when it landed Brighton (Colo.) Mullen four-star Aidan Keanaaina. Listed at 6-3 and 285 pounds, Keanaaina is closer to 300 pounds as he gets ready for his senior campaign.
Keanaaina was named a Colorado 5A First-Team All-State selection and an All-USA Today First-Team All-Colorado pick as a junior after racking up 77 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.
Keanaaina had offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, USC, Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, UCLA, Iowa, Colorado, Purdue, Kansas State, California, Virginia, Arizona State, BYU and Vanderbilt. Keanaaina also had an offer from Yale.
CLASS IMPACT
Notre Dame is looking to add another 4-5-man defensive line haul, and Keanaaina gives it a second DL pick up in the class. He joins Dusseldorf, Germany end Alexander Ehrensberger, who committed to the Irish on Jan. 31, 2019.
Led by Elston’s efforts, the Irish have signed seven defensive tackles in the previous three classes, which followed a 2016 class in which no interior players were signed. The last three classes – which included four Rivals four-star recruits and five four-stars on the BGI Board – put Notre Dame in situation where the focus was on specific needs instead of numbers.
