Notre Dame commit Eli Raridon shocked by Brian Kelly's departure
West Des Moines (Iowa) tight end Eli Raridon grew up a Notre Dame fan, and he’s been committed to the Fighting Irish since early May. To say he was shocked by head coach Brian Kelly leaving for LSU earlier this week would be an understatement.
“I definitely thought this was one of the most stable coaching staffs,” Raridon told WHO13 News in Des Moines. “So that was really unexpected to see him leave like that. … The tight ends coach (John McNulty) came to see me yesterday when all this crazy stuff was happening. He had no idea before he flew here, and then once he landed, his phone blew up.”
Kelly was even expected to do an in-home visit with Raridon this week ahead of the December 15 early signing period.
Raridon is the No. 195 prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He ranks as the country’s No. 8 tight end and the No. 3 prospect in Iowa.
On3’s own rankings are quite a bit higher on him, pegging him as the No. 90 overall prospect and No. 5 tight end nationally.
Eli Raridon didn’t pick Notre Dame for Brian Kelly
As a self-described lifelong Irish fan, Raridon has had sights set on Notre Dame as a school and a program. And who is the head coach doesn’t appear to change any of that.
“I’ve been a fan ever since I was born,” Raridon said. “It means everything to me, based on the school, the campus, the value of the degree. I thought Notre Dame was the best decision for me.”
Despite attempts from Kelly to bring him to LSU, Notre Dame has kept offensive coordinator Tommy Rees in the fold. And the Irish are expected to name defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman as the program’s new head coach, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. That kind of continuity, along with the fact that Kelly has yet to bring any of his Notre Dame position coaches, bodes well for keeping the recruiting class together.
The Fighting Irish 22 players committed for 2022, and their class ranks No. 5 nationally, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.