Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit

Listed measurements: 6-foot-4 ⅝, 241 pounds 2023-24 year, eligibility: A sophomore, Gobaira has all four seasons of eligibility remaining since he did not take the field in 2022. Depth Chart: Gobaira exited his second spring practices as the third in line at “Big” defensive end behind fifth-year NaNa Osafo-Mensah and Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste. More playing time should be available for Gobaira at “Big” end rather than at Vyper, where he may be more of a fit but would be No. 4 on the depth chart. Recruiting: A consensus four-star and the No. 6 weakside defensive end in the class of 2022, per rivals.com, Gobaira turned down an aggressive chase from Arizona State to choose Notre Dame. Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Kentucky also sought the No. 84 overall prospect in the class.

A top-100 recruit would normally elicit offers from more blue-blood programs, but Gobaira was an under-the-radar prospect before his junior season was delayed until the spring by the pandemic. As he grew into his frame, he was out of sight and out of mind for most programs. By the time he showed that on the field, he had already committed to the Irish, dampening the offers from any other programs.

CAREER TO DATE Gobaira did not play as a freshman. He then made two tackles in the Blue-Gold Game to close spring practices last month, including one for a loss. A modest showing, sure, but he was one of a handful of young defensive linemen — including classmate Tyson Ford and junior Jason Onye — who flashed enough to spark some intrigue in how they fare come preseason practices.

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