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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

2022 DE Aiden Gobaira on Notre Dame: 'It was a great experience'

February 3, 2021
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2022 Chantilly (Va.) defensive end Aiden Gobaira‍ (pictured on the right) received an offer from Notre Dame nine months ago and made his way out to South Bend this week for an independent visit. 

"It was a great experience,” Gobaira told ISD. “I saw the campus and it was beautiful. I saw some Notre Dame students that seemed really nice and inviting. Overall, it was a great trip. I loved it." 

The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder wasn’t able to see the coaching staff and players due to NCAA rules as it’s a dead period due to COVID, but Gobaira was able to walk the campus and get a feel for life at Notre Dame. 

"I expected a great campus and that's what I got,” stated Gobaira. “It was beautiful walking in and seeing the cathedral and the golden dome. It seemed like a place is inviting.

"It was a good unofficial visit for what they can do with the restrictions." 

The ISD four-star prospect wrapped up his visit on Tuesday night and had a productive conversation with defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Mike Elston. 

Freeman has only been on the job for a few weeks, but he has made a significant impression on the Virginia native. 

"He seems like a great coach and very energetic,” explained Gobaira. “I loved talking with him. I think he's a great defensive coordinator." 

Gobaira is much more familiar with Elston as there has been time to develop a relationship and the contact has ramped up even more over the last few weeks. 

"Coach Elston and I have a really good relationship,” Gobaira stated. “We've started to talk a lot more and it's nice. He's a really fun coach and an interesting coach. It's great talking with him." 

The Chantilly star projects at a few positions along the defensive line and he likes where he would fit into Freeman’s defense. 

"They see me as a Vyper player, so in a two-point and three-point stance sometimes,” Gobaira explained. “The kind of player who moves around the defense a little bit. 

"There are some different projections, but it's more different about the scheme they see me playing in." 

Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech are also recruiting Gobaira hard, so it was vital Notre Dame got him on campus to make a move and stay in the race. 

Gobaira will now take time to process it and plan his next move, but don’t think he feels the pressure to commit to a program at this stage of his recruitment. 

"I really don't have a timeline right now,” said Gobaira. “I'm just playing everything by ear." 

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