2021 Minnesota OL Riley Mahlman Recaps Notre Dame Visit

Riley Mahlman‍ and his family arrived in South Bend early on Saturday and the 2021 Minnesota offensive lineman is glad they did.

“It went great,” the 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore said. “I loved the whole day. It’s a neat experience overall.

“We got there at 11 o’clock, so we got to see all of the tailgating experiences, which was really cool. Then, they took me at about 2 and toured me through all of the facilities. I went to the weight room and went to their facilities, the Gug. After that, we went to eat. They had some speakers like Quenton Nelson and DeShone Kizer. It was really cool hearing from them about their experiences at Notre Dame.”

The Lakeville South High School standout appreciated the honesty from the former standouts.

“They were saying why you should choose Notre Dame,” Mahlman explained. “They said Notre Dame has the best people overall.

“Quenton was telling a story about how it was such a good school that he thought everyone was going to be nerds. But he said they were the coolest people ever and he made so many friends through the whole experience. He said it was the greatest thing.”

After that, Mahlman and his family got their tickets and headed to the stadium.

“We got to stand next to the field to watch the guys warm up,” he said. “Then, they directed us to our seats and we watched the game. It was a really good game.”

Mahlman, who plays tight end for his high school squad, camped in South Bend earlier this summer and was again struck by the campus and facilities.

“It was really nice,” he said. “I love how the campus is so green and nice. The whole thing is beautiful, it’s crazy. The facilities are top-notch.”

During the trip, he had chances to chat with Irish offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, graduate assistant Aaron Coeling and Director of Football Recruiting Aaryn Kearney.

“They were just telling me to keep in touch, they want to see me get bigger and stronger for next year and more of a complete player,” Mahlman recounted.

“I’d love to get back out there for another camp or game. I just loved the whole experience and I’d love to do it again.”

It’s early in Mahlman’s recruitment, but he’s already receiving interest from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa as well as the Irish.

“I just want somewhere I fit that has good academics and good people and somewhere I’ll have strong bonds with the coaches.”