2020 DT Aidan Keanaaina Impressed With Notre Dame's DL & Mike Elston

2020 J.K. Mullen (Colo.) defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina‍ made his first trip to Notre Dame over the summer, but Saturday’s visit was entirely different for the three-star prospect. 

“It was awesome,” the 6-foot-3, 292-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. “It was a great game with great energy. It was a blast to be back. To see the game day atmosphere was special. 

“On my unofficial visit this summer, it was quite dead because the students weren’t there. It was nice because we got to see the campus, but this weekend was a good change with all the fans.” 

The atmosphere was impressed the Colorado native, and Keanaaina felt the electricity from the student section, which was right on top of him. 

“I was impressed,” stated Keanaaina. “I was right under the student section, and I got to see all the cool things they did. When they would kickoff, everyone would be like, ‘Ohh Ohh, Go Irish.’ The students doing pushups when they scored was the funniest thing I saw. 

“For the game, it was a great game. Notre Dame did amazing, especially up front. Seeing what Coach (Mike) Elston taught them, it was great to watch and see how they played.” 

Elston got to connect with Keanaaina and laid out why both sides needed each other.

“Coach Elston told me Notre Dame is a great place and they are a great unit,” explained Keanaaina. “If I wanted to be part of it, he believed I was a great fit, and they want me at Notre Dame. He said I was just what they needed and Notre Dame is what I need.”

The best pitch might have been made on the field by defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who finished with four sacks against Stanford. Elston made a point to highlight the senior defensive lineman to Keanaaina and Tillery gave him a show.

“It shows a lot,” Keanaaina said of Tillery’s performance. “It showed his coaching really shows on the field. He talked to me about him and how they train different moves. I was watching Tillery do some of the moves Coach Elston taught. It was great watching it because I understand how they learned it and you could see it translate to the game.” 

“It does give me a lot of confidence. Stanford is known to be a great team, especially the offensive line. I’ve been told they have always had an amazing offensive line, so to have four sacks against them is a big thing. 

“Coach Elston must be doing something right with his defensive linemen.”

Keanaaina also got to connect with Notre Dame’s players and commits. The J.K. Mullen star took it as a chance to see if he could fit into the culture at Notre Dame and the Irish passed with flying colors.

“I got their thoughts about Notre Dame and stuff,” Keanaaina explained. “I thought I could fit in. Every time I go to a school, I try to think about if I could be in the uniform and go to that school.

“I could definitely do it at Notre Dame. My school is similar to Notre Dame, and I like that, but I want to investigate it more.” 

Notre Dame’s fan support also surprised Keanaaina on Saturday. 

“The different kinds of people at the game surprised me,” Keanaaina stated. “There were so many fans there. Some were alumni and some from all over. Usually, when I go to a game, I see a lot of the other team’s fans there. I barely saw any Stanford fans at the game, and that’s what I really enjoyed. 

“When you have a home game, and most of the fans are your fans, it’s a big thing.” 

On Keanaaina’s first visit, his father, a big Notre Dame fan, wasn’t able to make the trip, but both were in South Bend on Saturday.

“He really enjoyed himself,” said Keanaaina. “He loved it. He said there wasn’t anything that could go wrong with Notre Dame. He loves Notre Dame, and so does my mom. They both love it. They love the football side of it, but also the fact the degree from Notre Dame carries weight.”