A stellar athlete who also ranks among the top basketball players in the state of Ohio, Rudolph committed to Notre Dame in late March, turning down overtures from the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Virginia. He was on campus for three Irish home games this fall.
Elder cracked the national top 25 early in the season after ending the 109-game win streak of Independence (N.C.) at the Herbstreit Challenge, but the Panthers finished 7-4, losing in the first round of the playoffs to another national top-5 team, Cincinnati St. Xavier. Rudolph finished the season with 37 catches for 623 yards (16.8 yards per catch) and 11 touchdowns, and he also averaged 36 yards a kick as the team’s punter. In his junior season, Rudolph had 30 receptions for 400 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned First-team All-City and All-Conference honors. In basketball, he was awarded as the GCL Player of the Year and All-Southwest Ohio.
