Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1264448
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 71 OFFENSIVE LINEMEN DID YOU KNOW? Since 2008, 40 of the 43 offensive linemen Notre Dame signed out of high school have redshirted as freshmen. Trevor Robinson (2008), Steve Elmer (2013) and current right tackle Robert Hainsey (2017) are the exceptions, and each enrolled early. None of the six Notre Dame linemen drafted since 2014 eschewed a redshirt. With all the returning depth and experience, it'd be a surprise if the number doesn't grow to 42 out of 45 after this season. With possibly four starters gone after 2020, though, Notre Dame will have a load of play- ers with three or four years of eligibility left to compete to fill the spots. There won't be a talent shortage — all six signees from 2019-20 were four-star recruits, and four of them were ranked in the top 150. Zack Martin in 2010 and Quenton Nelson in 2015 are two examples of red- shirted players sliding into starting roles as sopho- mores and locking them down. SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (17) Listed after the class year is the years of eligi- bility remaining. Left Tackle 74 Liam Eichenberg (6-6, 305), 5th-Sr./1 73 Andrew Kristofic (6-5, 292), So./4 60 Cole Mabry (6-5, 279), Jr./3 Left Guard 69 Aaron Banks (6-6, 335), Sr./2 75 Josh Lugg (6-7, 318), Sr./2 76 Dillan Gibbons (6-4, 305), Sr./2 70 Hunter Spears (6-4, 304), So./4 Center 55 Jarrett Patterson (6-4½, 300), Jr./3 52 Zeke Correll (6-3, 290), So./4 61 Colin Grunhard (6-0½, 290), Sr./2 Right Guard 78 Tommy Kraemer (6-6, 317), 5th-Sr./1 56 John Dirksen (6-5, 306), Jr./3 71 John Olmstead (6-4½, 283), So./4 — Michael Carmody (6-6, 292), Fr./4 Right Tackle 72 Robert Hainsey (6-5, 295), Sr./1 77 Quinn Carroll (6-7, 306), So./4 — Tosh Baker (6-7, 283), Fr./4 2019 VS. 2020: STOCK UP OR DOWN? No position group's stock may have risen more when all four draft‑eligible starters returned to school alongside junior center Jarrett Patterson. The 114 combined return‑ ing starts is believed to be the most in school history entering a season. Four of the five starters appeared on Pro Football Focus' list of the top 30 returning offensive linemen in college football. With all the experience and skill back, a leap from above average to highly effective is now the expectation and the need if Notre Dame wants to make a run at the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame graded out last year as the second‑best pass blocking line in the country, per PFF's metrics. It allowed 16 sacks all season, tied for the 11th‑fewest nationally. Left tackle Liam Eichenberg, perhaps Notre Dame's best draft prospect for 2021, did not allow a sack in 2019. The problems popped up in the running game, which disappeared in the two losses in 2019. The Irish's short‑yardage conversion rates also dropped. Whoever wins Notre Dame's lead back job will get a massive boost if the run block‑ ing can return to 2017 and 2018 quality — and be aided by game‑breaking backs. X-FACTOR Right guard Tommy Kraemer missed the fi‑ nal six games of the season due to a leg in‑ jury suffered at Michigan. Before the injury, the former top‑50 recruit was Notre Dame's lowest‑graded offensive line starter, per PFF. Overall, he is still considered a "draftable" player, but he needs to regain the increased mobility he showed when he shed weight before the 2019 season and find the power he had when he was heavier. At 6‑6 and 319 pounds, he should be one of Notre Dame's best people movers and able to match any defensive player's strength. He has graded out as a better pass blocker than run blocker in his career and would increase the run game produc‑ tion if he's able to make some fifth‑year strides. Otherwise, Josh Lugg could seri‑ ously challenge at either guard position for action. FRESHMAN OUTLOOK Notre Dame signed only two offensive linemen in 2020 after all that experience returned and every member of the four‑man 2019 haul opted to return. Sophomore Hunter Spears also moved over from defensive line to guard. Those two incoming freshmen, Mi‑ chael Carmody and Tosh Baker, were four‑star recruits and have tackle frames. Either could reasonably project as Notre Dame's left tackle of the future. This fall, though, they'll likely be redshirted. Fifth-year senior right guard Tommy Kraemer was tabbed as a midseason All-American by the Associated Press last season before missing the last six contests due to a leg injury. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS