Notre Dame DE Commit Aiden Gobaira Enthralled By ‘Surreal’ Official Visit
Four-star Chantilly (Va.) High defensive end Aiden Gobaira knew from a self-guided campus tour earlier this year that Notre Dame was the place he wanted to be. He committed to the Irish on Feb. 6.
An official visit this weekend confirmed his original inclination.
Gobaira spent the weekend in South Bend with a slew of Notre Dame commits and many more potential ones who have not yet pledged to a program. The class of 2022 recruit recapped his experience on Notre Dame’s campus in a Q & A with BlueandGold.com.
How did your official visit go?
Gobaira: “It was a very busy weekend. It went amazing. Being there and seeing the place and being with everyone, it was surreal. I’m glad I was able to be on this trip.”
What made it surreal and such a great experience?
Gobaira: “Just being with the recruits and being able to actually talk to them and have conversations with them in person and building those relationships now so that when I do get up there we start running right away. And being with the coaches and actually seeing them in person and shaking their hand and giving them a hug and having those in-depth conversations, it was amazing. I loved having that.”
Which players and coaches did you bond with the most?
Gobaira: “I was bonding with all the guys. I was talking with Jaden Mickey a bunch. I was talking with Zach Rice who is obviously uncommitted. I was talking with Ty Chan, Joey Tanona and Ashton Craig who actually committed (Saturday). It was just great talking with all of those guys and hearing their stories.
“And also, current players here, Rylie Mills and Gabe Rubio, just talking with those guys and hearing their stories, it was amazing. Amazing.”
What is your relationship with Zach Rice like? How much were you recruiting him over the weekend?
Gobaira: “It’s obviously totally Zach’s decision so I wasn’t going to go crazy selling him, but I was just telling him to have a great time. Hopefully he knows this is the spot for him because he knows this has the education, this has the academics, it has the sports — it has everything for him.
“We were just talking about how he’s going to be playing and where he’s going to be going. Just talking about how he wants to fit. He said he loved the trip up here. He didn’t tell me anything about his decision, but he said he loved it up here.”
How was meeting head coach Brian Kelly, defensive line coach Mike Elston and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman?
Gobaira: “Funny story, I had never seen Coach Elston so I had no idea how big he was. I don’t know why I thought this, but I thought he was going to be short. So when I actually saw him I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ He’s 6-4. It was crazy actually seeing him.
“And talking with him, he’s such a treat. He’s a character and a half. I love him. He’s so funny, so personable and so easy to talk to. Coach Freeman as well. He’s so energetic. He has a great message of trying to build championships while getting a great education.
"Same with Coach Kelly. Meeting Coach Kelly was a surreal experience for me. I never thought I would be able to shake Coach Kelly’s hand. When I was younger I never thought any of this was possible. Actually meeting him and giving him a hug was amazing.”
How set in stone is your commitment to Notre Dame?
Gobaira: “When I came up here I was 100 percent. Now I’m 110. This solidified it for sure.”
What are your final thoughts on the visit?
Gobaira: “I had a great time. I had a blast seeing everything. Seeing the campus more in-depth and being able to see off campus where everything is, housing and the dorms — the dorms are beautiful too. It was an amazing trip. I’m still jacked from it.”
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