Three things I like about Notre Dame Tight End #9 Eli Raridon

Ready to take his rightful place

The Notre Dame football roster is full of great players — known and unknown. No matter the place on the depth chart or the recruiting ranking a player had attached to him before his arrival at Notre Dame — there are probably some things I really like about him. So over the course of the next few months, let’s take a positive approach to running down the roster.

Almost daily (just being honest) I’ll list three things I like about a single player on the roster, and as an additional bonus, I’ll post some extra pics over on the OFD Instagram account (be sure to follow RIGHT HERE).

Next up…

#9 Eli Raridon — Tight End

Eli Raridon was born to play football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The 6’7” 251 pound senior from Valley High School in Des Moines, Iowa, is the son of former Irish offensive lineman Scott Raridon and he was one of the best tight ends in the country during his 2022 recruiting cycle. Injuries have plagued this one of a kind athlete during his time in South Bend, but everyone is very optimistic about a healthy and productive 2025 season.

Here are three things I like about Eli Raridon:

1. He is an incredible athlete.

Raridon was an all-state basketball player in high school, and recent history has taught us that great basketball players can also be great tight ends — it’s science. He does have a nasty history of ACL problems, but he keeps coming back with very short recovery times (like — take an extra few weeks bruh). Still… at 6’7” and 251 pounds, he’s faster than you might think and moves incredibly well in open space. The Irish will have 6 tight ends on scholarship this year, but none have a bigger upside than Raridon.

2. A quarterback’s best friend.

For as excited as we all are for either Kenny Minchey or CJ Carr to take over at quarterback for the Irish this season — it’s still going to be their first season with any meaningful reps — let alone as a starter. Having a 6’7” windmill with hands out there ready to pull down that pass on 3rd and 7, or reach up for the ball in the corner of the endzone, will be a fantastic tool for Mike Denbrock and whoever QB1 will be.

3. He just looks the part.

Sometimes there’s just something about a football player that you like, and you really can’t put a finger on it. Generally it’s a pretty easy explanation — he just looks the part. Notre Dame is Tight End U and we’ve seen a lot of great ones play under Our Lady’s watchful gaze, and Eli Raridon has EVERYTHING he needs to be the next great one in South Bend. Maybe it’s the #9, but yeah, I am still getting the Kyle Rudolph vibes which has me pretty excited. I DON’T KNOW WHY — I JUST KNOW.