Notre Dame Guard Battle Is Proving The Irish Have Quality Inside Depth

When Joe Rudolph was hired as Notre Dame’s offensive line coach, he knew that one of his top priorities would be replacing two-fifths of last season's offensive line. They weren’t just any two starters; left guard Jarrett Patterson and right guard Josh Lugg were the two most experienced linemen the Irish had last season.

Patterson was a fifth-year player who made 46 starts from 2019-2022 and Lugg was a six-year lineman who had 33 starts of his own. The void of nearly 80 combined starts between that duo has Rudolph conducting a pair of spring auditions to find two new starters.

"What you want to do is identify who could be ready,” Rudolph stated after Friday’s practice. “Ready could mean different things. There’s physicality, there’s the ability to execute with technique, there’s the ability to be consistent in technique and physicality, and then there’s a mental side.

"Do you know what to do and how to do it?" continued Rudolph. "When you find that group of guys, who can consistently be the best when everything’s moving, and guys are shifting, and there’s yelling, and who won’t flinch in that moment. Just because a guy isn’t there yet doesn’t mean he won’t get there in time. That’s why you have to keep working to develop.”

The left guard competition has been between rising sophomore Billy Schrauth and rising junior Pat Coogan, with Schrauth dominating the first team reps.

"I think there’s been a really good battle at left guard, Billy Schrauth has been working along with Pat Coogan,” Rudolph said. "They’ve got the majority of the reps there. I think it really freed Pat up going to guard, I’ve seen his footwork getting better and I think it’s a little more natural for him.”

Schrauth enrolled early last spring, but was limited due to a foot injury. He was ranked as a top 10 guard recruit in the 2022 class coming out of high school, and Irish Breakdown ranked him as a Top 100 recruit. Coogan was a three-star recruit out of Illinois in 2021. His only career action was in last year’s 44-0 win over Boston College.

The competition on the right side is between veterans Andrew Kristofic and Rocco Spindler.

"I think it’s been a really good battle between Andrew and Rocco,” Rudolph noted. “Andrew has been really steady. He’s been out there before and knows it, and Rocco continues to get better. From where he started to where he is now, he and Ashton Craig have probably made the most growth. That’s been really cool to see, the guy’s earning their own confidence and getting there. At the same time, Aamil (Wagner) is someone that could be one of those five best guys.”

Rudolph also mentioned the possibility of senior left tackle Tosh Baker moving inside should the need arise.

With so many players battling to win a starting job, the competition this spring seems to have brought out the best and shown the team's depth inside.

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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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