Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 9 Eli Raridon, sophomore tight end coming off a second ACL tear

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 18, 2023 08:00 AM

Brigham Young v Notre Dame — LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 08: Tight end Eli Raridon #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after his teammate Michael Mayer #87 scored a touchdown against the Brigham Young Cougars in the Shamrock Series game at Allegiant Stadium on October 08, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Fighting Irish defeated the Cougars 28-20. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Listed measurements: 6-foot-6 ¾, 249 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A sophomore, Raridon suffered a season-ending knee injury one week too late as a freshman, thus leaving him with only three years of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Raridon should enter the preseason as the No. 3 Notre Dame tight end simply because he was not healthy in the spring. If he puts together a strong August, Raridon could leapfrog classmate Holden Staes to be the lead backup behind junior Mitchell Evans.
Recruiting: The No. 5 tight end in the class of 2022 and No. 198 overall prospect, per rivals.com, Raridon spurned both his homestate powers of Iowa and Iowa State when he committed to the Irish seven months before he could sign his National Letter of Intent.

The Hawkeyes and Cyclones may have wanted Raridon, but on some level, their coaching staffs had to know Notre Dame was always the frontrunner, given Raridon’s father, Scott, was an Irish offensive lineman from 2002 to 2005, having Eli while still in school.

CAREER TO DATE
With Notre Dame’s receiver corps decimated entering last season, both Raridon and Staes looked like contributing pieces for the Irish passing game in 2022. Raridon, in particular, impressed physically in preseason practices.

He had a role early in the season, though he had yet to establish himself as a downfield possibility when he tore his right ACL for the second time in less than 12 months. After the sixth game of the year and Raridon’s fifth appearance, that practice injury cost him a season of eligibility by one game. (The exact date was somewhere in Oct. 17-19. With preseason practices beginning next week, it will have been just more than nine months since the injury when Raridon has his first possible chance at practicing again.)

Amplifying the cruelty of the injury, Raridon tore that same ACL in his senior basketball season of high school, the winter of 2021. His recovery impressed the Notre Dame coaches and trainers when Raridon arrived on campus in the summer of 2022, hence the thoughts that he could contribute as a freshman. Instead, no catches and another lost spring.

QUOTES

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Raridon is optimistic he will be able to play in 2022. He should be. That is the luxury of youth. Yet, it is rather unlikely.

“‘Seven and a half months from the surgery is fall camp, and that’s when I’m going to be ready to go,’ he said to Inside ND Sports this month. ‘But I’m hoping by the time I get there June 10, I’ll be able to do everything summer workouts-wise.

“‘If we were doing pads during the summer, I probably would sit out until late July or beginning of August. We’re not doing any of that from what I know, which is good. So I think I’m going to be good to go. We’ll see what happens, but I’m feeling really good about it.’

“The most aggressive timetables for returning from an ACL tear are about nine months. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson set that new threshold in 2012, and it has increasingly become more common, which is to say, it is still rather uncommon.

“Nine months from Raridon’s injury will be mid-September.

“If Notre Dame lacked proven tight ends, perhaps there would be an argument for Raridon to ease into the rotation by midseason, but this is ‘Tight End U,’ and the Irish currently enjoy the services of perhaps the best tight end in program history. Even behind Michael Mayer, sophomore Mitchell Evans has impressed many, and then junior Kevin Bauman or sophomore Cane Berrong will be ready as the third option, both coming off their own leg injuries in 2021.

“There is no need to rush Raridon into that grouping. A full and prolonged recovery will be the smarter long-term play, and it should absolutely be the expectation for Raridon, despite his natural optimism.”

2023 OUTLOOK
There is an obvious caveat here: Is Raridon healthy?

In the spring, it was expected he would be full-go before preseason practices began. Tearing the ACL in the same knee twice within a year is certainly disconcerting, but it is not the career death knell it used to be. At tight end, where top-end speed is not the priority asset, Raridon could conceivably be back to 90 percent applicability on the field next week. That may sound pessimistic, but it is only saying it will take some time for his full health to look like it did two years ago.

If Raridon is healthy, his hands and his height have not been diminished. He was already a willing blocker, earning 76 offensive snaps as a result. With his position coach now also the offensive coordinator, multiple tight ends should be needed this season.

Notre Dame LT Joe Alt (76) and TE Eli Raridon (9) part the seas for Audric Estime. pic.twitter.com/UPffjWSk3q
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) September 27, 2022

There is reason to think Raridon will be one of them. Maybe he is the third tight end, still behind Staes, but the third tight end should still be called upon. Notre Dame has better receivers than it did a year ago, but it is still lacking in dominance in that department. Leaning into the talented tight ends could create offensive advantages.

Let’s not speculate on Raridon’s possible stats until it is known how healthy he is. There is no need to rush him back given the last 19 months of his life included about 17 months of rehab.

DOWN THE ROAD
Staes is considered the future of the Irish tight ends. The one-two punch of landing him and Staes in the same class created confidence “Tight End U” would continue well through the mid-2020s.

But first they have to wait for Evans to enjoy his turn. His size and athleticism present a higher ceiling than has been realized to date. Evans is by no means the next Michael Mayer, but he will be one of the best tight ends in the country.

That means Raridon and Staes could be playing second and third fiddle until 2025.

By then, Raridon should be truly healthy and all the way back to his previous form. Consider what that looked like on the hardwood and understand why Notre Dame remains optimistic about Raridon’s long-term future.

Just turned on Eli Raridon’s basketball game via live stream.

Check out the #NotreDame commit with the steal and a dunk, extending Valley’s lead.

What an athlete this kid is… @EliRaridon @sraridonjr @SteveAngeli_125 pic.twitter.com/UHD8pL9iNb
— Kevin Sinclair (@KevinSinclair_) December 18, 2021