Kyle Rudolph reveals real reason why he picked Notre Dame over Ohio State

Retired NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph has revealed why he chose to play college football at Notre Dame instead of staying in his home state to play for Ohio State.

Rudolph joined the "Andy & Ari On3" show in New Orleans on Friday for Super Bowl media week. The 35-year-old, who played at Elder High School in Cincinnati, spent three seasons with the Fighting Irish before heading to the NFL. Many were surprised that Rudolph opted for Notre Dame instead of Ohio State.

As Rudolph explained, he chose Notre Dame because he preferred how the team used tight ends in its offensive scheme. Had he gone to Ohio State, he would have primarily been used as a blocker.

“You think back to Ohio State at the time when I was in college, they were winning just as much, they had national championship games, they were going to BCS bowl games every single year,” Rudolph said. “But Jim Tressel’s offense – I would’ve gone and been a tackle."

“It might not have been a bad thing when I look at how much more money tackles make than we did. … But at the time, for me, I was like a skinny basketball player that had to put weight on just to play the tight end position. So then to think about what things would’ve been like to then have to block all the time, I didn’t wanna do that.”

NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons - Source: Imagn

At the time, Kyle Rudolph's decision was debated. Ohio State finished 12-1 in 2006 with receivers such as Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, but the Buckeyes’ offense didn’t heavily feature tight ends.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis ran a system that utilized tight ends more, prompting Rudolph to choose the Fighting Irish.

A look back at Kyle Rudolph's NFL career

Kyle Rudolph was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The two-time Pro Bowler spent 10 seasons with the Vikings before signing with the New York Giants in 2021.

He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022 for his final season, playing alongside Tom Brady. That year, he appeared in nine games, recording three receptions and one touchdown.

Since retirement, Rudolph has worked as a Big 10 analyst role for Peacock and as a host on Fox Sports Radio.