Jarrett Patterson Is Making A Smooth Transition To Guard

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Veteran blocker Jarrett Patterson has been an Ironman of sorts for the Notre Dame offense. The fifth-year senior has made 34 starts over the last three seasons. There is no one with as many career starts returning to the Notre Dame roster this fall.

Patterson finds himself in unfamiliar territory this season, though, because all 34 of those starts came at center. His final season at Notre Dame will see him take a couple side steps to the left, where he will play guard for the first time.

It’s a transition that’s gone a little smoother than Patterson anticipated, especially since he has never played guard in his life.

“I’ve played tackle,” Patterson said, referring to the position he played in high school and as a rookie for the Irish. “I’ve never played guard. I wasn’t sure how footwork and punching and things like that, how it was going to go, but I just said like Coach (Harry Hiestand) says, you’ve got to believe in the basics and I just said I’m going to work on technique and focus on it in practice, so I’m ready for game one. It’s been really good, so far.”

The move to guard came about after Patterson suffered a torn pectoral muscle prior to the team’s spring practices. His absence gave back up center Zeke Correll a chance to show his stuff the rest of spring, and Correll seized the opportunity.

Correll started two games in 2020 after Patterson went down with another injury, and he performed well. That performance helped him earn the starting left guard job to start the 2021 season after Patterson returned, but Correll struggled and was eventually replaced. It became pretty obvious pretty quickly this spring that what would be the best for the team was starting Correll at center and moving Notre Dame’s most experienced lineman to left guard.

“By the end of spring watching Zeke, he did a really good job during spring ball,” Patterson noted. “I kind of had a feeling that they might ask me to do it. I met with all the coaches and they brought the idea and I said ‘Yeah, let’s do it. I want the best five guys out there to help win football games.' If me moving to (a new) position means having the best five out there then that’s what I’ll do.”

Patterson was on the fence after last season on whether or not to declare for the NFL Draft, but he opted to return to school for another year for a chance to elevate his draft status. Centers are typically the lowest on the draft priority list for NFL teams, so the move to guard now gives him a chance to further improve his draft stock for 2023.

Having Hiestand as his offensive line coach should go a long way toward enhancing his draft stock as well. Hiestand helped mentor first round picks like Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Quenton Nelson, and Mike McGlinchey in his first stint at Notre Dame from 2012-2017.

Hiestand is back with the Irish, after two years with the Chicago Bears and another two years living in South Bend and out of football. The offensive line guru has brought a different level of intensity to the Fighting Irish line in practice.

“It’s like game-like speed,” Patterson said of what Hiestand has brought to practice. “The biggest part about with Coach Hiestand’s individual periods is the guy on defense has to be going full speed to get the proper look. You want to simulate game-like conditions. You know, guys playing low and working double teams.

“Usually every play averages around five seconds," continued the Notre Dame captain. "So, in individual now, we’re working five second combo blocks, drive blocks (and) things of that nature. (We are) just kind of building that game conditioning so when it comes to game time you’re in that proper condition and ready to go.”

Patterson said his first day at training camp under Hiestand was tough, because it had been so long since he had practiced and conditioned at full speed, due to his pectoral injury. He says he got to 100% healthy about a week before camp started and is in much better football shape a week into fall camp.

He smiled when asked about the attention to detail to the craft of offensive line play that Hiestand brings on a daily basis.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a one-yard run or a 99-yard touchdown, if something’s not right, technique-wise, you’re going to know about it,” Patterson said. “That’s what it’s all about and that’s something that other guys are understanding as we go on – that it’s all about fundamentals (and) technique.

“That’s what helps win football games, not worrying about the scoreboard or how many yards you get each play, because when you have the proper technique and fundamentals, that’s when you’re gonna have success and see it on the field.”

With Patterson at left guard, the rest of Notre Dame’s projected offensive line for the September 3 opener at Ohio State is: Joe Alt – left tackle, Correll – center, Josh Lugg – right guard, and Blake Fisher – right tackle.

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