Alohi Gilman Talks Notre Dame Decision

It has been a crazy week of roster management for the Notre Dame football program but on Friday, the Irish capped off the week with a huge addition to the program as Alohi Gilman announced his transfer from Navy to Notre Dame.

The 6-foot, 195-pounder was at Notre Dame for a two-day visit earlier this week and saw enough to make the call on Friday morning.

“The school itself was great,” Gilman told Irish Sports Daily. “The academics are great at Notre Dame. I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff, and they are headed in the right direction.

“I gravitated to the football and the culture around Notre Dame. I just felt comfortable around the players and coaches. I felt like it was the right place for me.”

The Laie (Hawaii) native wanted to give football a harder look after his freshman season at Navy, where he played in all 14 games and started 12. Notre Dame provided a situation where Gilman found the balance of academics and athletics he was looking for in a new landing spot.

“Football was a huge part of what the coaches told me,” Gilman said of the Notre Dame staff. “They were clear about how I would get a great education and set myself up after my career is over. At the same time, they told me I could play football at a high-level.

“They checked all the boxes, and it was similar to Navy. Both schools have a great education and the networking is huge. The networking opportunities at Notre Dame are great.”

Gilman got to spend time around new defensive coordinator Mike Elko, and it was a big part of feeling comfortable enough to call Notre Dame home.

“I got to meet and talk with him on my visit,” stated Gilman. “I loved Coach Elko. I am excited to get up there and learn from him.”

The current players also made a significant impact on Gilman. He got to visit with several members of the team, but Gilman also made sure to make sure they knew he had 12 tackles in Navy’s 28-27 win last fall.

“I was able to hang out with some of the young guys and a few of the older guys too,” explained Gilman. “They were nice guys and mature. It was a solid group of guys.

“I rubbed it in a little bit and let them know. I am excited to be surrounded by those guys.”

Gilman wrapped up his visit on Thursday morning and headed back to Hawaii, but he didn’t commit before he left South Bend. He wanted to take some time and let things sink in, and on Friday morning he knew where he wanted to go.

“I didn’t commit while I was there,” Gilman explained. “It happened so quickly, and I decided to come home to take some time to think and pray about it. All day on Thursday and this morning, I felt comfortable with it, and I pulled the trigger.”

Up next, Gilman will report back to Notre Dame in the next week as he will enroll in summer classes.

“I will be reporting back for the summer semester to get acclimated and take some courses to kind of catch up,” stated Gilman.

On his visit, Gilman also noticed the expansion on the stadium and it didn’t disappoint the newest member of the Irish.

“It’s huge,” said Gilman. “It’s a major project. It was very impressive to be around it. They have a big vision, and it was crazy to be around that project.”