Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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OFFENSIVE LINEMEN Senior Liam Eichenberg started all 13 games at left tackle last season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 78 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Starter ★★★★ Despite the loss of Alex Bars in the fifth game, Notre Dame finished the 2018 season as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the best offensive line in the nation. The Fighting Irish won the award in 2017, and two players from that lineup — Robert Hainsey and Tommy Kraemer — return for their third season as starters. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg is pro- jected as a first-round draft pick in 2020 by Dane Brugler, the NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic. Right guard Kraemer was named a first-team preseason All-American by Street & Smith's. Pro Football Focus graded right tackle Robert Hainsey as the team's best lineman last season, and Banks checked out as the second-best run blocker among the returners. Experience ★★★½ Notre Dame returns 60 career starts up front, which is five fewer than last season's line. That unit had 52 starts by just two players, while the 2019 line returns three players with at least 13 starts and two more with at least five starts. Hainsey and Eichenberg have 30 combined starts at tackle, and Krae- mer leads the line with 19 career starts. Backup fifth-year senior center Trevor Ruhland made five starts at guard last season. Junior Joshua Lugg was a starter on the punt team and played 56 snaps at guard in 2018. Even first-year starter Jarrett Pat- terson — who earned a redshirt last season — saw action in three games. Depth ★★★★½ Notre Dame has a remarkably deep offensive line roster from both a num- bers and talent standpoint. Three of the five expected starters were ranked as top-100 recruits by at least one recruiting service, and all five were ranked as top-250 players. Three backups were also ranked as top-100 recruits, two more were rated in the top 120, and two others were four-star recruits. All four members of Notre Dame's freshman class were ranked as top- 120 players by at least one recruiting service, and two were ranked among the top 100. The current depth chart is such that all of the rookies will get time to develop before being counted on to push for action. Overall Grade ★★★★ Despite losing a pair of top-10 NFL Draft picks from its award-winning 2017 offensive line, the 2018 Fighting Irish unit was still considered one of the 10 best in the country by the Joe Moore Award committee. Last year's line showed flashes of brilliance, but consistency and the loss of Alex Bars — their best blocker — kept it from coming close to repeat- ing the stellar play from the 2017 unit. With four starters returning and excep- tional depth, Notre Dame is primed to once again emerge as one of the best group of blockers in the nation. The average Pro Football Focus grade for Notre Dame's four returning starters equals or surpasses five of Athlon Sports top 10 preseason of- fensive lines. BY THE NUMBERS 5 All five starters along the line played tackle before three of them were shifted inside. Senior Tommy Kraemer was a co- starter with Robert Hainsey at right tackle in 2017, while junior left guard Aaron Banks and sophomore center Jarrett Patterson were the backups at right tackle and left tackle at the outset of the 2018 campaign. 6.00 Yards per play averaged by Notre Dame during the 2018 season, according to Phil- Steele.com, which ranked No. 47 among 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. In- terestingly, the other three College Foot- ball Playoff teams were in the top three spots, with Oklahoma's 8.60 yards per play at No. 1, followed by Alabama (7.76) and national champion Clemson (7.35). 7 Consecutive years (2012-18) when at least one Fighting Irish offensive lineman was named a captain. The lone position group that rivals it is linebacker with five. Captains were not named yet at the end of spring, but junior Robert Hainsey and senior Liam Eichenberg were two of the eight SWAT lead- ers during winter, spring and summer drills. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern QUOTABLE: OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR CHIP LONG ON CURRENT JUNIOR RIGHT TACKLE ROBERT HAINSEY'S 2018 SEASON AFTER GRADING THE TAPE: "He might have been our best player [overall] on offense. The way he executed game in and game out, and the level of consistency that he played with were outstanding. He's a confident young man, too, and you can see that in the way he's leading."