Notre Dame Midweek Musings
Thoughts on Notre Dame football, its recruiting efforts and college football.
DREW PYNE IS THE FORGOTTEN MAN
From talking to sources and engaging in discussions about the Notre Dame quarterback situation for 2021, it seems that its a two-man race between grad transfer Jack Coan and incoming freshman Tyler Buchner.
The forgotten man in the group is rising sophomore Drew Pyne, who seems to have already been passed up by a talented prospect, but one who has not played a snap of football beyond his junior season of high school.
I get why Pyne is being overlooked by so many. He's not very big, he's not very athletic and he doesn't have a big arm. There's nothing attractive about Pyne's game from a measurables standpoint.
But is it wise for Pyne to be dismissed so easily, by fans or by the Notre Dame coaches? I don't think so. As a prospect, Pyne is what head coach Brian Kelly always claimed Ian Book was, but what Book often was not, at least not in big games.
Pyne is a highly accurate quarterback, he has a lightning quick release and his arm, while not a cannon, is good enough to get the ball downfield in the right offense.
Talking to sources close to the program, Pyne made a big impression on teammates as a true freshman with his ability to quickly pick up and master the offense. He was praised for his precision and decision making as a first-year player. From what I've gathered his teammates aren't as ready to dismiss him as fans seem to be.
Put good weapons around him and Pyne is the kind of point guard quarterback you need to get the ball where it needs to go, and right or wrong that's what Kelly has craved at the position over the last decade. Pyne is the kind of quarterback that can pick defenses apart and get his playmakers opportunities.
This will be a big spring for Pyne. The fact is he and Brendon Clark are sort of suffering from middle child syndrome. The focus in 2021 will be on the veteran Coan as the grad transfer. Buchner is the shiny big prospect that everyone raves about, and there has been talk about him playing as a first-year quarterback, whether that be eventually starting or at least working into the action.
Pyne battling Coan and holding off Buchner this spring is imperative if he wants to have a shot at competing for the starting job in 2022. That's a lot to put on the shoulders of a sophomore with two career attempts, but that's where he finds himself entering the 2021 offseason.
BIG YEAR FOR OL RECRUITING
This is a big year for the Notre Dame offensive line and position coach Jeff Quinn, who needs to dominate as a coach and recruiter over the next nine months.
On the field, Quinn will be looking to replace four starters with a group of talented players that have very little experience.
On the recruiting trail, Quinn has done good work, but he's not recruiting at the same level of his predecessor, Harry Hiestand.
From 2013 to 2017, Notre Dame recruited the offensive line as well, if not better, than any team in the country, and the results showed on the field. Even the 2020 offensive line, which was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, had four starters that were recruited by Hiestand and coached at least one season by Hiestand (Eichenberg, Hainsey, Banks, Kraemer).
Hiestand's five-man class in 2013 had five players that ranked as composite Top 200 recruits, he had four four-star recruits in 2014 (three ranked as Top 250 players), he signed a pair of Top 100 recruits in 2016 and recruited three Top 175 recruits in 2017. The list of top pickups for Hiestand includes Ronnie Stanley, Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey, Steve Elmer, Alex Bars, Sam Mustipher, Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Robert Hainsey, Joshua Lugg and Aaron Banks.
Hiestand even recruited Jerry Tillery, who initially committed to Notre Dame as an offensive lineman. When Hiestand left for the NFL, Notre Dame was already the leader for Quinn Carroll, Zeke Correll and Andrew Kristofic.
Quinn has now had two full recruiting cycles at Notre Dame, and he's landed some top level talent, bringing in four Top 150 recruits (Tosh Baker, Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler, Michael Carmody). The issue, however, is the lack of top depth in the class. While the third player in most of Hiestand's classes were also top prospects, Notre Dame has landed two strong players in each class and then there's a drop off.
There's some upside and good projection with players like Joe Alt and Caleb Johnson, but they need work, and the Irish came up short in numbers in the 2020 class. The third player in Hiestand's 2013, 2014 and 2017 classes, for example, were also highly ranked and talented prospects.
Now in his third full cycle, Quinn has a chance to bring in a truly special offensive line haul, and the program needs it. Landing Joey Tanona was a great way to start, and I see Tanona as a Top 100 to Top 150 caliber interior player, and Ty Chan is a high-upside project that will be a Top 200 caliber recruit.
To finish the class out Quinn needs to land at least one more elite recruit and one high-upside player. Landing a fifth blocker is something I would shoot for if I was Notre Dame, and it's what I would do instead of bringing in a second tight end, or fourth wide receiver.
If Quinn doesn't bring in two more prospects that are as good or better than Tanona then questions should start to be asked. Yes, he's doing a good job recruiting, but there's another level that is needed, and this is a great opportunity for him to get to that level.
Land Zach Rice and a prospect like Jake Taylor, or perhaps Billy Schrauth, and those questions go away. This is especially true of Rice, who is a five-star talent and one of the nation's best blockers.
Quinn has done a good job on the recruiting trail, but he has the opportunity to up his recruiting game in this cycle, and it's needed.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Much of our postseason draft analysis focused on the Senior Bowl, where Notre Dame had six players in attendance. While the Hula Bowl got far less publicity, former Irish cornerback Nick McCloud stood out, making two picks in the game.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
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