Notre Dame defensive linemen Tyson Ford, Aiden Gobaira medically retire - InsideNDSports: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football & Basketball Recruiting

Published Jun 21, 2024

Notre Dame defensive linemen Tyson Ford, Aiden Gobaira medically retire

Tyler James • InsideNDSports

Publisher

Notre Dame football signed two Rivals100 defensive linemen in the 2022 class. Now neither player is on the Irish roster.

Defensive tackle Tyson Ford and defensive end Aiden Gobaira have been medically retired from football for the Irish, a program spokesperson confirmed with Inside ND Sports. That allows them to remain on scholarship as a student at Notre Dame without their scholarship counting against the NCAA roster limit.

The departures of Ford and Gobaira lowers Notre Dame’s projected scholarship number to 86, one above the limit that must be met by the start of fall semester classes. Some college football players who have been medically retired at one school have resumed their playing careers at other schools. Both Ford and Gobaira currently remain students at Notre Dame.

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Ford bounced back and forth between positions for two seasons, logging just 13 defensive snaps in three cameos all during the 2023 season.

He put on the weight to move inside and be a difference-maker at defensive tackle as a freshman, then took it off to audition at field defensive end, while cross-training at both as a sophomore this past season. Ford moved back to defensive tackle this spring, but he failed to make headway at a position that returned its top two players from last season: Rylie Mills and Jason Onye.

Sophomore-to-be Brenan Vernon and early enrolled freshman Cole Mullins started to push for reps at the defensive tackle position ahead of Ford this spring as well. In April, Ford stepped away from the program and no longer appeared at spring practices.

“He’s taking some personal time off, just to figure out what he wants to do,” said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on April 13.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound product of St. Louis finished his Notre Dame career with one career tackle.

Gobaira never played in a game for the Irish. He redshirted as a freshman with no game experience and missed his sophomore season with a torn ACL in his right knee that he suffered in an August practice. Gobaira was still sidelined from the injury this spring. Prior to his injury, the 6-5, 249-pound product of Fairfax, Va., was expected to compete as a depth piece at defensive end.

Rivals ranked Gobaira as the No. 6 weakside defensive end and No. 84 overall recruit in the 2022 class out of Chantilly (Va.) High.

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Linebacker Jaylen Sneed at No. 51 overall was the only Notre Dame signee ranked higher than Ford, a John Burroughs High standout. Ford was ranked as the No. 6 strongside defensive end and No. 51 overall. Gobaira was the third-highest ranked signee behind the two of them. Both Ford and Gobaira finished their high schools careers in the All-American Bowl.

Defensive line coach Al Washington said in March that Ford was working his tail off. But the reality of the situation was that Ford didn’t have the experience of those ahead of them, which can be hard to overcome.

“I think that's tough for any young player,” Washington said. “I'll be honest with you. If I was in his shoes, I'd be like, ‘Man.’ But you just got to control what you can, and you have to continue to work your best. And I credit Tyson for doing that, and he'll be out there flying around this spring.

“So, I have a very high opinion of Tyson — he's a great kid. For him this spring's a great opportunity to continue to work. We all know the game's unpredictable, and he’s just got to continue to put his foot to the pedal like he has.”