Notre Dame Guards Must Develop Quickly To Ensure The Irish Line Is Elite
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Notre Dame had an outstanding offensive line in 2022, and it has a chance to be even better in 2023. Whether or not that happens will largely be determined by what happens at guard, as Notre Dame must replace both starting guards from the 2022 campaign.
The Irish line had some ups and downs last season, but with the return of an elite tackle tandem at offensive tackle and with the emergence of Zeke Correll at center the line is in good position heading into the 2023 season. Of course, at the heart of that is the presence of Harry Hiestand and Chris Watt as the developers of that unit raises a great deal of optimism.
If Notre Dame is going to make the jump on offense next season the line must be consistently dominant. For that to happen, Notre Dame must find answers at guard after Jarrett Patterson headed to the NFL and Joshua Lugg having exhausted his eligibility. Patterson and Lugg were solid players this season and leave behind 79 career starts.
Right now there is only one returning guard with starting experience, although other veterans could slide over and compete. What Notre Dame lacks in proven experience it makes up for with a roster filled with talented young players. The question for Notre Dame is will that young talent step up and develop this offseason? How that question gets answered will go a long way towards determining the effectiveness of the line.
VETERAN PRESENCE
Senior Andrew Kristofic started seven games in 2021 and he started the 2022 opener against Ohio State while Patterson was out with an injury. His emergence into the lineup in 2021, alongside then true freshman Joe Alt, helped solidify the line down the stretch that season.
Kristofic has been a solid player, showing a steady presence, but he hasn't been an impact blocker. He has flashed potential to be better than just solid, but it hasn't been frequent enough. Now that he's the veteran inside, Notre Dame needs Kristofic to take his game to another level. Him just being solid and steady would be fine, depending on what happens at the other guard position, but Notre Dame does need Kristofic to be a more physical blocker in the run game.
I've always felt that Kristofic would thrive under Hiestand, and we'll find out this offseason if I'm right or wrong. If I am wrong you can expect Kristofic to be challenged for a starting role, or possibly even even Notre Dame go into the portal for a veteran guard. If I'm right, Kristofic is going to be a breakout player for the Irish and will solidify one of the guard spots.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see rising senior Michael Carmody get a shot at guard this offseason. He started two games at left tackle in 2021, played a few snaps at right tackle in 2022, and he spent time at center this past season. Carmody was listed at just 280 pounds this past season, which is just too light for an interior player. He has shown physicality as a blocker, but he'll need to add weight and maintain his athletic skills in order to compete for a starting spot at guard.
ALL EYES ON SCHRAUTH
The hot name at guard heading into the spring is rising sophomore Billy Schrauth. There are two reasons for this excitement, and the primary reason is fans haven't seen Schrauth make a mistake in college yet, so there's always the excitement about seeing him play without having the negative evaluation of what he might have done early in his career.
There's another even more important reason, and that is Schrauth is a very talented young player. Will he be ready this spring to contend for a starting job? We'll find out, but expectations are rightfully high from fans outside the program and sources inside.
Already listed at 6-4 1/2 and 302 pounds, Schrauth certainly has the size to step into the lineup early. As a prep player he showed an outstanding combination of quickness and power. Schrauth was a physically dominant player in high school, and that earned him a Top 100 grade on the Irish Breakdown board. He was my No. 2 ranked offensive player in the 2022 class, behind only Tobias Merriweather. Schrauth was also ranked as a Top 100 recruit by both Rivals and On3.
There is no doubt he has the natural talent to be an impact blocker at Notre Dame, but the question is will he be ready to be that kind of player in 2023? We'll get our first glimpse this spring. Schrauth making a similar year two jump we saw from former standouts like Quenton Nelson, Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Tommy Kraemer and Joe Alt, or even Blake Fisher, would be huge for the Notre Dame offensive line.
YOUTH MOVEMENT?
Notre Dame has some very talented young players on the roster, and all but one will be on campus this spring. Offensive line is a position that sometimes can take a bit longer for players to be ready to step into the lineup and thrive. The good news for Notre Dame is the number of talented young players is higher, which helps increase the margin for error.
Schrauth is certainly one young player that fits that bill, but he's not alone.
Fellow 2022 signee Ty Chan is another player to keep an eye on. Chan is listed at 6-5 and 310 pounds, so like Schrauth he already has the size to play right now. This spring he'll need to show he has the conditioning level, grasp of the offense, technical prowess and consistency to push for a starting job. I could see Chan battling Schrauth for a starting role, but the pair of young sophomores could also push Kristofic for a starting role as well.
A case could be made that if Notre Dame is going to put its five most talented blockers on the field this season, without taking experience into account, it would include both Schrauth and Chan.
Rising junior Rocco Spindler was the highest ranked recruit of this entire group as a consensus Top 100 player. Spindler has struggled early in his Notre Dame career, but he's still young, and he wouldn't be the first blocker who needed a bit more time to develop into a starting caliber player. This is a big offseason for Spindler, who needs to have a big offseason if he wants to hold off the younger players and emerge as a starter.
Spindler is a strong young player with powerful hands, but he hasn't shown the necessarily foot quickness, flexibility or lateral quickness needed to thrive inside. If the 6-4 1/2, 315-pound rising junior can get in better shape and improve his foot quickness you will see Spindler battle for a spot inside. If he doesn't the odds are good he gets beat out by a younger player. Spindler growing into the player we all thought he would be coming out of high school would be huge for the Irish offensive line.
A player to keep an eye on is rising sophomore Ashton Craig, an athletic young lineman that IB sources are very high on. Craig might still be a year away physically, but he's athletic, talented and has a lot of potential to be a future starter at center or guard.
Freshman Sam Pendleton will be on campus this spring. I'm not sure Pendleton will be able to make a push as a first-year player, but he's 6-4, 305 pounds and very, very strong for his age. He also has the demeanor and attitude that Hiestand loves from his guards.
Freshman Charles Jagusah is not an early enrollee, but the 6-6, 325-pound big time player is a young man I could see come in this summer and in fall camp and make his presence felt immediately. Jagusah needs a lot of technical work and the adjustment into the system will be a big one, but if he can figure that out and enhance his fundamentals he has the kind of size and talent to be just too good not to play.
The options are plentiful, they are big and there is a lot of talent in this group. Now we need to find out if they can play, and if they can be high quality players in 2023. If they are the Irish offensive line could end up as the nation's best group by the time the season comes to an end.
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