Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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had picked Ohio State. He wanted the best for me, but he's very excited that I picked Notre Dame." Which makes sense, because Bryne knows the type of talent that Notre Dame is getting with Eichenberg. While he's rated by Rivals.com as a three- star prospect and the No. 37 offensive tackle in the country, longtime national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming says that Eichenberg is a prospect that plays at a different level than what his stock suggests. "He's a power- house lineman," L e m m i n g s a i d . "He's a big guy, and he's actually a Harry Hiestand type of offensive lineman. … He has the flexibility. He's a very strong kid. He's got mus- cle, and he's not fat. He's also got a mean attitude. When you watch all the kids that come out of St. Ignatius, you see that they have an aggressive style. "I think Liam has more upside than Jimmy Byrne, who was a two-time all- state player." That's a strong stance coming from Lemming, but it's one that St. Ignatius head coach Chuck Kyle backed up. Kyle, who was named High School Coach of the Year twice by USA Today, said that Eichenberg, a special mention all-state player as a junior, is as good a linemen as any of the ones he has coached the past three decades. "He's definitely athletic," Kyle said. "He has played right, he has played left, but most of the time it has been left of- fensive tackle. If you're going to play on that side of the line with a right-handed quarterback, he has to be important. We're expecting big things from him." And Hiestand is, too. Eichenberg be- comes the second offensive line com- mit for Notre Dame in the class of 2016. He joins Cincin- nati Elder four-star offensive tackle Tommy Kraemer, who like Eichenberg spurned the Buck- eyes and Meyer to play for Hiestand and the Irish. Notre Dame is now on pace to sign two offensive line- man from the state of Ohio in the same recruiting class for the first time since 1981. Eichenberg said it might be a coinci- dence, but Kyle disagreed. "Harry's a very personable and caring teacher," Kyle said. "I think the kids re- alize and understand that's important in the next phase of the career. There's more to football, especially at Notre Dame, and Harry knows that." ✦ FILM ANALYSIS Strengths Light on his feet and keeps them moving in both run and pass situations … Long at 6-5, which gives him the ability to make contact and drive defensive lineman from the point of contact … Technique is on point with a low pad level and a flat back at the line of scrim- mage … In pass protection, he will kick his feet back and square up his shoulders to face the rush, which is ideal … Intelligent player that has control of his body at all times. Weaknesses Needs to find a mean streak … Physical, but on film he doesn't finish off many plays … While his technique is phenomenal at this stage in his development, it still needs work … At times his head placement is off and that impacts his positioning when making blocks … Initial punch is strong, but more strength will be needed to play at the collegiate level. — Andrew Ivins