Coach | Notre Dame Landed Stud On & Off Field In 2026 DT Tiki Hola

The decision clearly wasn’t an easy one, but based on how Tiki Hola‍ approached the recruiting process, the 2026 Texas defensive tackle can have confidence that it’s a sound one.

Hola announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Saturday, choosing the Irish over offers from SMU and USC among several others. 

Hola’s coach at Bastrop High School, Jake Griedl, believes the Irish landed a true stud on and off the field. 

“They're going to get an unbelievable Christian young man who wants a platform to share his faith, who is going to be known for a lot of things on campus,” Griedl says of Hola. “Naturally, he'll be known for what he does on the field, but part of his college legacy is going to be the impact that he has off the field just because of the human that he is and the values that he has. 

“He's a well-rounded individual.”

Griedl sees Hola as the type of player any school would be fortunate to have in its locker room, but especially Notre Dame.

“He's a servant leader,” the coach says. “He has a strong faith and he understands that he's got a platform within the game of football to also utilize his servant leadership. 

“I think Tiki's going to end up doing something of using his influence to better the campus whether that's through servant work, whether that's through character development, just with the people that he's around. He's what every university wants on their campus and it's a bonus that the football program is extremely blessed because of that.”

Of course that talent on the field is the major reason the Irish football program chased Hola so hard and Griedl is convinced the 6-foot-3, 270-pounder will deliver on the field as well.

“He's hard to block,” says Griedl. “The kid's got an 86-inch wingspan. It's hard to block, he'll two gap yYou in a hurry. He's extremely violent. He's got heavy hands. He's very coachable and it matters to him. 

“Super nice kid, unbelievably nice kid. When he steps on the field, he flips the switch and he turns into an extremely violent player.”

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