It was quite the whirlwind of emotions for Chantilly (Va.) High class of 2022 defensive end and Notre Dame commit Aiden Gobaira between Brian Kelly bolting for LSU and Marcus Freeman replacing the longtime Irish head coach.
“When the news broke, I was shocked,” Gobaira said. “I had no expectation of that. I thought he was going to be there forever. My next thought was, ‘Who are they going to hire?’ I really wanted Freeman to get the job, and once he did, it solidified everything for me.”
Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston led the charge in the Irish’s efforts to secure Gobaira’s pledge back in February. Freeman retaining the veteran coach was also key for the four-star recruit.
“With Freeman getting the job, I knew Coach Elston would stay too,” Gobaira added. “That made me 100 percent with Notre Dame.”
News broke on Dec. 1 that Freeman would become Notre Dame’s next head coach, and Elston confirmed on Twitter that he would be sticking with the Irish that night. The next day, Elston was in Virginia for a home visit with Gobaira.
“It was great. He came to our house, we went out to eat and had a lot of fun,” Gobaira recalled. “It was after all of that got settled, so he was able to clear the noise and we had a good time.”
And this past weekend, 18 of Notre Dame’s current 22 commits in the class of 2022 were on campus.
“The official visit was great,” he said. “The point of the visit was for us to have a good time together, and we accomplished that. We really bonded more together. I got to finally meet guys like Tyson [Ford] and Donovan [Hinish], my fellow defensive linemen. It was great getting to know all of them.”
Gobaira’s favorite moment of the visit was what transpired after the Notre Dame men’s basketball team upset Kentucky 66-62.
“Once we won the game, we all stormed the court,” Gobaira said. “It was awesome.”
Gobaira will sign his National Letter of Intent with the Irish on Wednesday morning. He’ll enroll at Notre Dame in just a few weeks.
“I’m excited that Coach Freeman is the head coach,” Gobaira added. “January 9 is when I’ll be up there, and I can’t wait.”
Gobiara, the nation’s No. 207 player and No. 11 weak side defensive end per Rivals, picked Notre Dame over Arizona State, Boston College, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Virginia Tech and others Feb. 6.
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