Notre Dame landed a commitment from West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley class of 2022 tight end Eli Raridon on Sunday. The end result of Raridon, who Rivals ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 22 tight end nationally, siding with the Fighting Irish wasn’t surprising as he’s a legacy recruit, but the timing may have been unforeseen by some.
After all, Raridon was scheduled to take official visits to Iowa State, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Iowa, in that order, in June. However, a self-guided tour at Notre Dame the weekend of April 24 put the Irish over the top in his recruitment. Raridon knew where he wanted to spend his time as a collegiate student-athlete and didn’t want to drag out his recruitment any longer.
With Milton (Ga.) High’s Jack Nickel decommitting from Notre Dame on April 13, it left the Irish with an opening at the tight end position. When Nickel — who Rivals lists as a three-star prospect and the No. 34 tight end in the country — originally pledged to the Irish last summer, the plan was for Notre Dame to take one player at his position. But the staff decided earlier this year that it wanted to take a second tight end in the 2022 cycle.
With Raridon in the fold, tight ends coach John McNulty and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees are all in on Atlanta Westminster’s Holden Staes, who ranks as a four-star recruit and the No. 14 tight end in the land.
