Class Impact: Pat Coogan To Notre Dame

Notre Dame added to its 2021 recruiting class when it landed Chicago (Ill.) Marist offensive lineman Patrick Coogan.

The 6-5, 275-pound blocker had offers from from Ohio State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Stanford, Oregon, Tennessee, Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Boston College, Virginia, West Virginia, Syracuse, Kansas State, Iowa State, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Arizona, California and Cincinnati.

Here’s a breakdown of what this commitment means for the Notre Dame 2021 class and the Irish offensive line depth chart.

CLASS IMPACT

Notre Dame has landed talented blockers in the previous two classes, but numbers were an issue. The 2018-20 classes include just nine players, and even if everyone stays healthy, stays on the roster and pans out there aren’t enough linemen in those three classes to fill out a two-deep up front.

That leaves Notre Dame in a situation where it needs at least four blockers in this class. Coogan gives Notre Dame two blockers, as he joins Avon (Ind.) High School star Blake Fisher. Notre Dame is now halfway to meeting its needs from a numbers standpoint.

How effectively the class meets the talent need depends on how good the next two linemen to join the class end up being. If Coogan ends up as the second best blocker in the class then Notre Dame will likely come up short from an overall impact standpoint. If he’s the third best blocker in the class it’s a quality group, but if Coogan ends up being the fourth best blocker in this class it would make this an outstanding offensive line haul.

Coogan is a quality football player that brings value to this class, there is no question about that. At the very least he adds a high quality depth player, and if he taps into his full potential he could become a veteran starter that is part of a highly effective offensive line.

Landing another Midwestern lineman brings two more important aspects to the 2021 class. Of course, Notre Dame has had a great deal of success with regional blockers (Zack Martin, Nick Martin, Chris Watt, Braxton Cave, Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Christian Lombard, Steve Elmer).

Having two committed players so close to campus also aids the on-campus recruiting efforts, as both Coogan and Fisher are within driving distance of campus, which means they’ll be on campus for most - if not all - of the major recruiting events.

NOTRE DAME FIT

Coogan is listed as an offensive tackle by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN, but he plays guard for Marist and projects as an interior player at the next level. His body type and game reminds me of former Irish standout Nick Martin, who also started at both guard and center for Notre Dame.

The Marist standout has a technically sound game and he plays with an edge. There is some nastiness to his game, especially in the run game. Coogan has a good punch and fast hands, important traits for an offensive lineman.

He shows good short area quickness and he comes off the line with some pop. He’s an excellent finisher at the prep level, and as he reshapes his body, adds more good weight and gets more weight room strength his ability to get movement will project well in college as well.

In pass protection and when he gets further out in space you see some hip tightness, which factors into why he’s so much better inside. Coogan can handle himself in the pass game, but the run game is certainly the strength of his game.

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