The Jeff Quinn Era Officially Begins At Notre Dame
The Notre Dame offensive line has been coached by Jeff Quinn for three seasons, but during that entire time there was still a lot of former line coach Harry Hiestand's DNA up front. That was especially true in 2020 when Hiestand protege Chris Watt was hired as the graduate assistant working with the line.
With four starters lost and Watt now coaching the offensive line at Tulane, the Hiestand DNA is now gone from the Irish line. That means what we see in 2021 and beyond will be all about Quinn, and that means the Jeff Quinn era officially begins in full this offseason.
We begin by talking about what was lost from the line, and how the loss of four starters and Watt removed the Hiestand influence. In the last two seasons the Notre Dame line had four starters that were recruited and coached for at least one season by Hiestand and just one Quinn recruit. That will be the opposite in 2021, as the Irish will likely start four Quinn recruits and just one former Hiestand recruit (Joshua Lugg).
We also talk about Watt, how his arrival in 2020 impacted the Notre Dame offensive line more than your typical graduate assistant. Just look at the rushing numbers in 2020 compared to the two previous seasons.
Quinn faces a number of challenges in 2021, which we break down in the podcast. It also presents Notre Dame with a unique opportunity. We ask and answer the question of whether or not this is the perfect time to make the needed scheme changes we've been talking about this offseason.
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