Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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42 SEPT. 30, 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED FOOTBALL RECRUITING BY MIKE SINGER W ith how well Notre Dame has re- cruited the offensive line histori- cally, the Irish may just be "Offensive Line U." Former Notre Dame and current NFL offensive linemen Nick Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson have earned more than $111 million in the total value of their current and past con- tracts, including signing bonuses. There's no reason to believe that Notre Dame will stop as an offensive line juggernaut school. The Irish signed four offensive line prospects ranked as Rivals four-star recruits in the 2019 class, and has a pair of four-star commitments for 2020 in Phoenix Pinnacle's Tosh Baker, the nation's No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 44 overall recruit, and Mars (Pa.) High's Michael Carmody, the No. 2 prospect in Pennsylvania and the country's No. 34 offensive tackle . Looking ahead to the 2021 class, Notre Dame has a pair of offensive linemen committed. Avon (Ind.) High offensive tackle Blake Fisher picked Notre Dame over the likes of Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State. Rivals ranks Fisher as the No. 1 recruit in Indiana, and the No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 17 overall prospect in the land. Not only is the 6-6, 330-pounder a physical, bruising blocker, he is also putting in the work off the field as a recruiter for the Irish, taking it upon himself to sell other prospects on joining him in South Bend. Notre Dame's other offensive line commit is Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Greg Crippen, who is the as the No. 5 guard and No. 118 overall prospect in the country per Rivals. Crippen committed in March, but at as of mid-September we do not expect him to end up in the Fighting Irish recruiting class. Crippen unofficially visited Mich- igan Aug. 31, and communication between Notre Dame and the 6-4, 270-pounder has decreased over the past couple of months. A decommit- ment from Crippen seems probable. Notre Dame was recruiting Crip- pen as a center, and with him likely coming off the Fighting Irish's com- mitment list, offensive line coach Jeff Quinn may opt not to take a center prospect. Rather, they will recruit a guard or tackle who could poten- tially play the pivot. There may not be a more important offensive line recruit on Notre Dame's 2021 board than Olney (Md.) Good Counsel offensive tackle Landon Tengwall. On Sept. 17, the elite pros- pect, who has the ability to play any position on the line, announced his top three schools were Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State. Rivals ranks Tengwall as the No. 8 tackle and No. 54 overall prospect in the country. The highest-ranked prospect per Rivals on Notre Dame's 2021 offen- sive line board is Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal School offensive tackle Tommy Brockermeyer, who is a five-star prospect and the nation's No. 5 overall recruit per Rivals. Brock- ermeyer visited Notre Dame in the summer, but with his very strong fam- ily ties to Texas, it will be tough for the Irish to pull the 6-6, 270-pounder out of the Lone Star State. Penn State is the team to beat for Lititz (Pa.) Warwick's Nolan Rucci, the nation's No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 30 overall recruit per Rivals. His father, Todd Rucci, played for the Nittany Lions before a career in the NFL. However, the young Rucci has a very close bond with Quinn, and the Irish are in the running for him. Notre Dame is after a pair of offen- sive linemen from Clarkston (Mich.) High. Rocco Spindler offers the abil- ity to play either side of the line, but Notre Dame seems to prefer him on offense, likely as a highly skilled and athletic guard. The 6-5, 290-pounder has been able to form a strong con- nection with Quinn and is expected to visit Notre Dame Oct. 12. Rivals ranks him as the No. 3 guard and No. 82 overall recruit in the land. Although not as highly ranked by Rivals as Spindler, Clarkston offen- sive lineman Garrett Dellinger, a 6-6, 295-pounder, ranks as the No. 31 of- fensive tackle in the country. Dellinger also plans to visit Notre Dame Oct. 12. Both prospects are committed to play in the 2021 Under Armour All- American Bowl. Notre Dame may be the school to beat for Dellinger, while Michigan likely leads for Spindler. Fort Collins (Colo.) Fossil Ridge's Trey Zuhn visited Notre Dame over the summer and is very high on the Irish. Rivals' No. 21 offensive tackle and No. 159 overall recruit in the land is also considering Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Huntington (W.Va.) Spring Valley's Wyatt Milum, the No. 20 offensive tackle and No. 158 overall prospect in the land per Rivals, visited South Bend in the spring and received an offer from Notre Dame. Milum keeps his recruitment close to the vest, but the Irish are definitely involved. Notre Dame is a longshot for a pair of offensive tackles from Texas. Houston Episcopal's Donovan Jack- son, Rivals' No. 45 overall prospect nationally, and Reuben Fatheree II, the No. 176 Overall player in the country, have expressed interest in the Irish but will be very tough gets. Notre Dame is looking to take a few offensive linemen in the 2021 class, and it could be an epic group for head coach Brian Kelly. ✦ Tosh Baker of Phoenix Pinnacle High, the nation's No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 44 overall recruit per Rivals, is one of two four-star offen- sive line commitments in the Irish's 2020 class. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Irish Look To Build On 'Offensive Line U.' Tradition With 2021 Class