Notre Dame is widely considered to be “Tight End U” and they added another prospect in Eli Raridon. Raridon signed early with the Irish to lock in his commitment. By 247 Sports’ composite ranking, Raridon is the fifth-ranked tight end in the Class of 2022. He’s one of two top-15 tight ends in this Irish recruiting class, paired with Holden Staes.
Eli Raridon committing to the Irish is a huge win for Notre Dame. The tight end hails from Iowa, another state notorious for developing players at the position. With three official visits each to both Iowa State and Iowa, Raridon was certainly eyeing his in-state options. However, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and tight end coach John McNulty did enough to rope Raridon to South Bend. And now, Raridon has the potential to be the next great Irish tight end. First, he gets to spend a year learning from All-American Michael Mayer, but a starting role as a sophomore is a strong possibility.
A recent scouting report from recruiting analyst Allen Trieu compares Raridon to Mark Andrews. Andrews is one of the best young tight ends in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Furthermore, Raridon already excelled as a blocker in high school, which is somewhat rare. The Irish offense loves to utilize tight ends as extra blockers and Raridon could make an immediate impact there. He’s not incredibly polished as a route-runner, but he should have time to pick that up. Working behind Mayer, Raridon won’t be asked to do too much as a receiver in 2022. Notre Dame may use that year to bulk up Raridon. The Iowan stands at 6’6 and weighs in at a lean 220 pounds. Given he’s already a strong blocker, adding more size could make Raridon an absolute force.
