Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 79 Pro Football Focus ranks him as the fifth- best offensive tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft, while publications such as Bleacher Report and CBS Sports project him to be a first- round pick. If, for some reason, he goes later than that, Eichenberg will be the first starting left tackle since Kelly took over the program to go later than the first round. For most players, the pressure of continu- ing such a tradition would push them to work non-stop. For Eichenberg, that just means maintaining the same level of inten- sity he has always had. Continued Transformation Kraemer was likely the lone Notre Dame player who did not have to endure the long bus ride home from Ann Arbor, Mich., back to South Bend after the Fighting Irish lost to the Wolverines 45-14 on a cold and rainy October night. Instead, the 6-6, 319-pound right guard left for Cincinnati as he dealt with two dif- ferent hardships: a death in his family and a sprained MCL that ended his 2019 season. It was a somber conclusion to a promising season, one that started with preseason All- America hype and prognostications about his inevitable NFL future. Even sadder, for the first time in his Notre Dame career, Kraemer was actually living up to the high expectations others set for him. Fortunately, he'll have the chance to re- turn to form during his final year of eligibil- ity in 2020. "Tom was our best offensive lineman last year before he got hurt, and I expect nothing less this year," said Ruhland, who replaced Kraemer at right guard after the injury. Despite his borderline five-star recruit- ing ranking, it wasn't always a foregone conclusion that Kraemer would one day be considered the top offensive lineman on the team. Halfway through the 2018 season, he actually lost his starting job because then offensive coordinator Chip Long viewed the lumbering guard as too slow and overly plodding in his scheme. "He had to move better," Long said fol- lowing a 2019 spring practice. "I like to pull our guys, and we weren't very good last year. I didn't want to lose that part of our offense." For Kraemer to work his way back into a starting role, he had to reshape his body in order to get quicker and more flexible with- out also losing muscle. This required a new level of commitment in the weight room. "Last summer he really took it to another level, where he'd be finishing sprints first and he was the strongest guy in the squats, which was different than the years before," Ruhland said. "That really helped him on the field. He was bigger, stronger and faster than everybody and you could see, once he got locked up with someone, it was over." This year, without a full offseason on campus, there are some questions about how well he was able to recover from his knee injury, but especially because nothing was torn that ultimately shouldn't be an issue. It's likely he'll be back to beating the other offensive lineman in sprints by the time fall camp begins. Then all that's left is for Kraemer to help anchor the offensive line for one final sea- son. His play, as much as anyone else's, will be vital in the team's quest for a balanced rushing attack, capable of punishing oppo- nents on both sides of the field. If Kraemer produces to the level he's capable of, Notre Dame could be well on its way to winning a second Joe Moore Award in four years. The standard remains the standard.✦ The Captain It's rare for an offensive lineman at Notre Dame — or anywhere — to be ready to play on day one. Even Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey, future top-10 NFL Draft picks, required a redshirt season before they contributed. Same with current All-Pros Zack Martin and Ronnie Stanley. But on occasion, an offensive lineman enrolls at Notre Dame who is so mature from a physical and mental standpoint, he is immediately ready to play meaningful snaps. This applies to rising senior Robert Hainsey, who rotated at right tackle as a freshman in 2017, the same offensive line unit that earned the coveted Joe Moore Award. Hainsey then took over the right tackle position full-time starting in 2018 and has thrived since. By his junior year, he also showed enough leadership qualities to be named a captain — another rare feat for a player his age. "He has been an integral piece to their line for the past three years," Pro Football Focus analyst Anthony Treash noted. "Hainsey has logged over 1,800 snaps at right tackle in that time span and has been a wall in pass protection over the last two, particularly. "Since the start of 2018, Hainsey has allowed the third-lowest pressure rate at right tackle among returners." Unfortunately, Hainsey's 2019 season was cut short because of a broken ankle on the opening series versus Virginia Tech in November, but he should be back to 100 percent by the start of the 2020 season. When looking at 2021 NFL Draft boards, Hainsey might not project as a first-round pick like Nelson, McGlinchey, Martin or Stanley did, but over a four-year period his impact on the Notre Dame offensive line could be just as prominent. — Andrew Mentock Hainsey, a returning captain, has logged more than 1,800 snaps at right tackle in the last three seasons. His junior season, though, was cut short by injury. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA