DT Aidan Keanaaina
DT Aidan Keanaaina, 6-3, 303; Denver Mullen High
Rivals ranking: Four stars, No. 30 DT.
247Sports ranking: Three stars, No. 47 DT, No. 524 overall.
Notable numbers: 77 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, four sacks, seven quarterback hurries, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal in 10 games as a senior.
Birthday: Feb. 13, 2002.
First scholarship offer: Oregon.
Moment I knew I wanted to be Irish: “After my first visit to Notre Dame (Sept. 29, 2018)."
One word to describe Brian Kelly: Tough-love. “He loves you, he works on you and when he needs to, he will be hard on you.”
Best player I’ve played against: Colorado OL commit Carson Lee.
Most interesting fact about myself: “I can sing. I sing a lot with my family, because my brother plays the ukulele. We sing a lot.”
Most embarrassing song on my playlist: “Baby” — Justin Bieber.
Most controversial opinion: “I hated ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ I loved seeing Thanos fight without the (infinity) gauntlet, but they missed so much opportunity that I wanted to see… I saw it the day it came out at midnight. I went to a movie theater and bought tickets two months in advance with my dad and family. And I was so disappointed. I was sad.”
Dream job (other than the NFL): “Very successful stockbroker to the point where people take my advice for investing and ideas for entrepreneurship.”
NFL player comparison: Houston Texas DE J.J. Watt.
Freshman year expectations: “I want to play. Redshirting, I don’t really know too much about. (Freshman nose guard) Jacob Lacey, I like that he played most games. I’m not going to be overconfident and say, ‘Oh, I want to be a starter.’ But I really want to come in there prepared, be on the field, be comfortable and just go from there.”
Favorite thing about football: “Not only is it one of the most enjoyable things to play, but it also opens opportunities for you that you would never have.”
Under Armour, Nike or Adidas: Under Armour.
What’s your best sport other than football? Track.
Sports idol: Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt.
Preferred social media: TikTok.
Favorite musician/band: YNW Melly.
Favorite TV show: “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
Favorite movie: “The Dark Knight.”
Celebrity crush: Jamie Lynn Spears. “I grew up loving that girl. One of my sister’s favorite TV shows (Zoey 101) always had her on. I would never tell her to turn it off because… yeah.”
How many times have you watched Rudy? Four.
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