Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 16, 2023 9 UNDER THE DOME Irish junior Pat Coogan spent most of the spring as a bit of an anonymous commodity along the Notre Dame offensive line. Coogan had appeared in only one game during his first two seasons on the team and he wasn't necessarily considered a strong candidate to earn one of the starting guard spots that were up for grabs this offseason. He spent the first two years of his Notre Dame career backing up Zeke Correll at center. That all changed Aug. 21, when Irish head coach Marcus Freeman announced that Coogan had supplanted sophomore Billy Schr- auth as the opening-day starter at left guard. And, so far so good. Through the first two games — both Irish victories — Coogan and Co., paved the way for 412 yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground while allowing no sacks in pass protection. A perennial overachiever, Coogan — a Chi- cagoland, native from Marist High School — came to Notre Dame as a three-star recruit and the No. 52 offensive tackle and No. 600 overall player nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. And now he's a starter. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local me- dia recently caught up with Coogan to discuss his rise to a starter, his journey at Notre Dame and waiting his turn. BGI: What has it been like becoming a starter? Coogan: "It's a dream come true, honestly. Coming from where I'm from, there's a lot of pas- sion and a lot of pride for Notre Dame football. It's been a great process. It's taken a lot of hard work and obviously it's paying off now." BGI: When did it become real to you that you could win a starting spot? Coogan: "In January. I knew there was an opportunity when Josh Lugg and Jarrett Pat- terson were leaving for the NFL. I knew there were two opportunities and two spots. So, in January, I believed in myself that I could earn one of those." BGI: What did it take to get you to this point? Coogan: "I knew I needed to get stronger so I put a big emphasis on that. I thought I had a really good offseason program. Just getting stronger was a huge emphasis and I feel like I put in two really good offseasons in the winter and in the summer." BGI: How difficult was it to stay patient and bide your time? Coogan: "Obviously everyone wants that op- portunity, everyone is fighting and clawing to have an opportunity but I stayed patient. I tried to just worry about myself and how to get better, and not worry about what other guys are doing." BGI: When you heard you were going to be the starter, what went through your mind? Coogan: "It was a great moment. I felt like I earned it every day, and I have to earn it every day still. The process, I believe, is never over. I have to go out there and earn it on the prac- tice field and on the game field every single day, every single snap." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … JUNIOR OFFENSIVE GUARD PAT COOGAN Coogan (No. 78) earned his first collegiate start at left guard in Dublin, Ireland, in the Irish's 42-3 win against Navy. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS Tobias Merriweather Will Emerge This Season By Todd D. Burlage It's true that sophomore wide receiver Tobias Merriweather has yet to live up to his billing as a four-star recruit, the second-best player in his home state of Washington, and the No. 23 wide receiver nationally in 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. At a long and athletic 6-foot-4 and 204 pounds, the West Camas, Wash., native certainly looks the part and has the tools of a player that should and would make an immediate impact. It just hasn't happened yet, but it will. Merriweather appeared in seven games last season and recorded 1 catch — a 41-yard touchdown against Stanford. Through the first two games of this season, he had 2 receptions for 5 yards, not exactly the stuff of legends but something to build on through the early stages of the 2023 campaign. Yeah, freshman wide receiver Rico Flores Jr., is getting his share of game reps and doing a solid job with them. But Merriweather is a bigger target with a higher upside, and that will start to show more as Irish graduate quar- terback Sam Hartman better familiarizes himself with his receivers. Judging by Hartman's willingness to share the wealth — 16 different Irish receivers had already caught a pass through two games — there will be plenty of chances for all of the Irish ball catchers this season. And you can be certain Merriweather will improve and emerge as one of the primary ones. Rico Flores Jr. Has The 'It' Factor By Jack Soble I'll start by clarifying that I think sophomore wide receiver Tobias Merri- weather is going to be a really good player, if he isn't already. He's 6-foot-4 with track speed, and he showed a lot of promise as a route runner during fall camp. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman's positive comments about Flores' blocking in Week 0 against Navy were a great sign. There's just something about Rico Flores Jr. that makes me think, "star." A draft analyst friend of mine once told me that the first thing he looks for in a top wide receiver prospect is elite body control. Flores has that, and it's some- thing you can't teach. Reporters saw it over and over again in fall camp, either in person or in videos Notre Dame posted on social media. Then there are Flores' hands, which are excellent. There's his route running and release package, which are more advanced than they have any business being for a freshman. And most of all, Flores is a competitor and a gamer. Not that Merriweather isn't, but Flores is to a truly special extent. He also projects as a key special teams player for the Irish, which any college football program worth its salt will say is important. It's all there for Flores, and it's showing up right away for Notre Dame. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO WILL HAVE THE MORE PRODUCTIVE CAREER AT WIDE RECEIVER? MERRIWEATHER FLORES