Notre Dame Increasing Communication With Star 2025 Tight End AJ Ia

With the recent decommitment of 2025 tight end Nate Roberts, Notre Dame now has to expand their options on the tight end board. Legacy standout James Flanigan is a player that the Irish are very high on but they are still going to be checking in on all their options, hoping to put together a two-man class.

One of the more interesting options on the board is Orange (Calif.) Lutheran star Aaron "AJ" Ia, who was offered by the Irish staff back in May. With the tight end class having seemed to form quickly, communication had been limited. That looks to be changing recently.

"Coach (Gerad) Parker hit me up before the game last Friday and asked if I was going to make it to a game this year,” Ia told Irish Breakdown. "That was the first time he had been in contact recently but I am hoping it gets a lot more consistent. He’s a really cool guy.

"Notre Dame has always stood out to me as a school,” Ia continued. "They play great football and provide a great education. They haven’t been much in contact but I’m hoping that changes. Obviously I can’t put them into heavy consideration yet but it’s early so I’m hopeful.”

That recent contact was very positive. It will be very interesting to see if that communication does pick up moving forward. There is no questioning how talented Ia is, who is being courted by a lot of talented programs.

"Recruiting has been going well,” he explained. "I’m staying in contact with all the coaches that want to be and everything is good. I have no visits planned but when officials come by I will for sure. Washington, Oregon, Florida State, Auburn, Arizona State, Arizona, Tennessee and Alabama have been standing out so far. It’s early but they have shown a lot of interest.”

Notre Dame has been forced to reevaluate their tight end recruiting in 2025. It appears that Ia is a player that is firmly on their radar.

The 6-5, 215-pound tight end is considered a four-star recruit by On3. They currently have him ranked as the No. 121 overall player and No. 3 tight end in the 2025 recruiting class. La is also considered the No. 14 player from the state of California.

Ia has garnered interest from a bunch of notable programs so far. Some of his top offers include Notre Dame, Texas, Miami, Florida State, Auburn, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Washington, Utah, Oregon State, Arizona State, Arizona, Cal and Indiana among others.

As a sophomore, La was a valuable member of the Orange Lutheran passing attack. The talented pass catcher ended the season with 24 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. That was good enough for a 15.1 yard per reception average and a long of 53.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @RiseNDraft
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter