Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 2, 2023 17 is gonna make Notre Dame's running game really special." DIFFERENT MINDSET Correll has often gone back to Ander- son throughout his college career, both to spend time with his family — includ- ing his young nephew, who is in Ander- son's youth program — and to work out. When he returned home this past offseason, though, Dreyer noticed that Correll's mindset had changed. It hap- pened shortly after the retirement of offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and Parker's promotion, which went down within a week of each other in February. Correll loved Hiestand, but with the veteran offensive line coach gone, he would have the most Notre Dame ex- perience in the offensive line room. He also knew Wake Forest graduate transfer Sam Hartman was coming in to play quarterback, but just for one season. He wanted to make sure, in Dreyer's words, that the Irish didn't let Hartman down. "He was excited to talk about Notre Dame's offense," Dreyer said. "The tempo of it, the different run game they're gonna have. And how they were gonna shock college football this year with Coach Parker's offense." At Anderson, Correll went to work in an effort to realize that vision. Dreyer saw him work on snapping and moving much more than he did in the offseason prior, when he focused on snapping and working on pass protection. "For me, it's been a little bit of ini- tial quickness in my sets, making sure I'm getting out of my stance square, smooth," Correll said. "Then in the run [game], mak- ing sure I'm in a good body position at all times. Really, my first step has been key for me. Making sure I'm getting to my tar- get. Making sure I'm getting enough width, getting off the ball." " I t h i n k t h e re was a major dif- ference of what he did, heading into this fall camp, of how he looked and how well he ran," Dreyer said. Back in South Bend, Correll focused on strengthening his connection with Hartman himself. Hartman did not take snaps under center much at Wake Forest, so he wasn't used to how many of Notre Dame's plays will start this season. Thousands of snaps later between the two — Correll wasn't sure what the exact number was — the operation should run smoothly as the season gets underway. "Zeke is awesome," Hartman said. "He and I have grown a lot. We kind of have to have that special connection. It's been fun to get to know him off the field. On the field, he's a wild man. He brings the juice every day. I feed off that." Perfecting the under-center exchange involves one nuance that fans might not expect. When Correll pulls or runs out- side zone, essentially any play that in- volves horizontal movement, he needs Hartman to get his legs deep into the backfield quickly so Correll's legs can get to work. So far, according to Correll, so good. "He's been doing a great job," Correll said. NOT COMPROMISING Correll, though the official roster has him at about the same weight (306 pounds) as it had him last year (308), insists he got bigger and stronger this offseason. In addition to lifting, Cheez- Its and peanut butter have been his go- to snacks to keep the weight on. "I feel more stout," Correll said. " I'm not 6-foot-8 Joe Alt, but I'm 6-foot-3 and I have good leverage out there. I feel strong. At the end of the day, that's all that matters for me." C o r r e l l a n d D r e y e r b e l i e v e that even though the overall weight is about the same, his muscle mass is larger than it was in 2022. He's taken care of his body and focused more of his effort on re- covery than he had in past seasons, and he feels more flexible as a result. Dreyer thinks Correll looks like, from a physical standpoint, one of the top five centers in college football. "He wanted to physically look bet- ter, feel better and have an idea of how to physically withstand that for more than 50-something plays," Dreyer said. "There's a tempo now, and Coach Park- er's style, and how much he's gonna run, I think he had to put on the mass and keep his ability to use his athleticism." With the measurables where they're at, Dreyer saw a more intimidating player when Correll was in Cincinnati during the offseason. And he didn't compromise the movement skills that had his name written into the Notre Dame starting lineup in Sharpie. On the contrary, he'll use those move- ment skills more. ✦ "He wanted to physically look better, feel better and have an idea of how to physically withstand that for more than 50-something plays. There's a tempo now, and Coach [Gerad] Parker's style, and how much he's gonna run, I think he had to put on the mass and keep his ability to use his athleticism." CINCINNATI ANDERSON COACH EVAN DREYER ON CORRELL Correll, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 306 pounds (2 pounds lighter than this time a year ago), added muscle mass this offseason and says he feels stronger entering the campaign. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER