Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2023 31 BY TYLER HORKA N otre Dame offensive linemen don't get to offer the common refrain, "I get to play for Harry Hiestand," any longer when detailing what is so alluring about suiting up for the Fighting Irish. Hiestand's second stint at Notre Dame lasted just one year. He moved on into retirement, so now the Irish must move on, too. The Joe Rudolph era as Notre Dame of- fensive line coach begins in earnest this spring. When the debate of which program is the real "Offensive Line University" is had, Wisconsin and Notre Dame are two of the first teams to populate the conversa- tion. Rudolph can now say he has been employed by both. Rudolph played an important role in recruiting and developing talented of- fensive linemen for the Badgers from 2015-21 before a one-year stint at Vir- ginia Tech. He inherits a wealth of riches with which to work at Notre Dame, so if the line fails in any way in the coming years he's going to have to also inherit the bulk of the blame. He has to be thrilled to walk into a situation that affords him the services of two of the best offen- sive tackles in college football in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, both juniors. Alt might be the very best of the bunch. Fisher could have contended for that title if he didn't miss 11 games because of a knee injury as a freshman in 2021. There are some things for Rudolph to figure out in the interior, but he also has a center in graduate student Zeke Correll who has started nearly two dozen games. Assembling an offensive line is a lot easier when the bookends are set along with the middle piece. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman probably did not foresee the Hiestand era ending so soon. But he probably also did not see former Irish offensive coordina- tor Tommy Rees leaving so sud- denly either. Coaching turnover happens. The best programs churn out production and get the most out of a team's talent re- gardless. Rudolph must be a major factor in mak- ing that happen. 2023 SPRING FOOTBALL OVERVIEW PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER O F F EN SIV E L INEMEN POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH RIGHT GUARD It feels like now or never for junior guard ROCCO SPIN- DLER. Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg leaving has opened the door for fresh blood at both guard spots. If Spindler does not do enough to lock down one of those vacancies and loses the job to sophomore Billy Schrauth, will he ever have what it takes to start at this level for Notre Dame? This is a monumental offseason for Spindler. NUMBERS TO KNOW 0 Sacks allowed by Joe Alt and Josh Lugg on 389 pass-block opportuni- ties in 2022 according to Pro Football Focus. Jarrett Patterson also did not allow a sack on 366 pass-block opportunities. Blake Fisher led Notre Dame with 5 sacks allowed, and Zeke Correll gave up 1. 6 On3 top-30 offensive linemen signed by Joe Rudolph and Wisconsin in five recruiting classes from 2016-20, the middle five seasons of Rudolph's time spent in Madison as the offensive line and associate head coach. That includes two top-15 offensive tackles in the same class in 2020. 91.4 Offensive grade from Pro Football Focus for Alt in 2022. That was the best mark among every tackle in the country. His run- blocking grade of 91.0 was also the best in the nation. PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Joe Rudolph (first season) Returning Starters: Jr. LT Joe Alt (21 career starts), Gr. C Zeke Correll (21) and Jr. RT Blake Fisher (15) Departing Starters: LG Jarrett Patterson (46) and RG Josh Lugg (33) Projected New Starters: Gr. LG Andrew Kristofic (8) and Jr. RG Rocco Spindler Top Reserves: Sr. OT Tosh Baker, Sr. OT Michael Carmody, Jr. OT Caleb John- son, Jr. C Pat Coogan, So. OG Billy Schrauth, So. C Ashton Craig, So. OT Aamil Wagner and So. OT Ty Chan Newcomers: Fr. OG Chris Terek, Fr. OG Sam Pendleton, Fr. OG Joe Otting, Fr. OT Charles Jagusah and Fr. OT Sullivan Absher ALL EYES ON … JUNIOR LEFT TACKLE JOE ALT At 6-foot-7, 317 pounds, Alt is considered to be among the best at his position in the country. In two seasons, he has positioned himself as a top-tier draft pick next spring. He has one more season to put the finishing touches on what might end up being one of the finest three-year offensive linemen careers of any Notre Dame player ever. JOE ALT