Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1463147
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2022 31 A verage offensive line seasons by national standards and poor ones by Notre Dame standards lead to changes around these parts. Notre Dame's 2021 perfor- mance up front fell into both categories and ushered in a position coach switch. Harry Hiestand comes back for his sec- ond stint in South B e n d , re p l a c - ing Jeff Quinn. The Irish did i m p r o v e i n m i d s e a s o n last year after m a k i n g s o m e lineup tweaks, but the final product still couldn't support any semblance of a run game against a sturdy Okla- homa State defense in the Fiesta Bowl. That might imply a talent deficiency, but Quinn leaves a well- stocked cupboard f o r H i e s t a n d . Eight players who started games last year return, includ- ing one (graduate stu- dent Josh Lugg for his sixth year) whom he recruited in his prior go-round with the program. The tackles are set for this year and likely next, with sophomores Blake Fisher and Joe Alt. It's just a matter of who plays which spot. Fisher was the opening day left tackle but tore his me- niscus two quarters in. He returned for the bowl game and put forth a dominant day in pass protection. Eight-game starter Alt was preseason option four at left tackle, but proved to be the best one. Lugg was a 12-game starter at right tackle last year, but will kick inside to guard, where he played in 2020. Senior Andrew Kristofic (seven starts) stabi- lized left guard last year. Hiestand won't have center Jarrett Patterson (torn pec- toral) this spring, but the graduate stu- dent is expected to return for the opener and start in the middle for the fourth straight year. Senior Zeke Correll, who has started at center and guard before, will handle center in the meantime. On paper, there's a good mix of expe- rience and talent that should be capable of sustaining a run game and protect- ing the quarterback. Last year's line did neither well for more than a few weeks. Expectations are for the Hiestand effect to kick in, but how long it takes to see results remains to be seen. ALL EYES ON … SOPHOMORE ROCCO SPINDLER Blake Fisher and Joe Alt were freshman phenoms last year. Not many rosters have tackles like those two. Had they not been in the picture, the first-year player under the microscope might have been Rocco Spindler. With Fisher and Alt having all but solidified their roles as starting tackles, it's time to look at Spindler and see if he can take the next step and push for a starting role at guard. PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Harry Hiestand (1st season of second stint) Departing Starter: RG Cain Madden (44 career starts, 13 at Notre Dame) Additional Departures: G Quinn Carroll (transferred to Minnesota), G John Dirksen (retired from football) and G Hunter Spears (medical hardship) Returning Starters: Graduate student Jarrett Patterson (34 career starts) at C, graduate student Joshua Lugg (20) at RG, senior An- drew Kristofic (7) at LG and sophomore Joe Alt (8) at LT Projected New Starter: Sophomore Blake Fisher (2) at RT Also Back: Senior Zeke Correll (8) at C, junior Tosh Baker (2) at LT, junior Michael Carmody (2) at RT, sophomore Rocco Spindler at LG, sophomore Caleb Johnson at RT and sopho- more Pat Coogan at C New Faces: Freshman Ty Chan at RT, fresh- man Ashton Craig at RG, freshman Billy Schr- auth at C, freshman Joey Tanona at RG and freshman Aamil Wagner at LT OFFENSIVE LINEMEN NUMBERS TO KNOW 1st Nationally was where Pro Football Focus listed Irish graduate student center Jar- rett Patterson among returning interior offensive lineman in college football ahead of the 2022 sea- son. Last year, Patterson ranked 16th nationally among centers with a 79.7 offensive grade and posted the second-best pass-block grade (85.4). 2 True freshmen — Joe Alt at left tackle and Blake Fisher at right tackle — started for Notre Dame on the offensive line for the first time since the NCAA reinstated freshman eligibility in 1972 in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. The Irish surrendered just two sacks against the Cowboys' FBS-best pass rush. 78.8 Offensive grade from Pro Football Focus for offensive tackle Joe Alt as a rookie in 2021, which was third in the nation amongst true freshmen. He was named a Fresh- man All-American by PFF for his performance. POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH WHO'S THE RIGHT GUARD? Though graduate student Jarrett Patterson is not available for the spring, he'll cer- tainly start when he returns. So, the situation at center this month isn't extremely noteworthy outside of finding out who Notre Dame has in a backup. People will be watching who's getting reps at right guard, though. There are plenty of options, starting with graduate student Josh Lugg, sopho- more Rocco Spindler and maybe even early enrollee freshman Joey Tanona. The Irish need to find the one that fits best. 2022 SPRING FOOTBALL OVERVIEW JOE ALT PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER