Replace and Reload: Notre Dame Must Move On At Center

Notre Dame will have plenty of starters to replace in 2024, but with the portal season opening up there will also be starters that must be replaced for the bowl game. That will be the case at center, with fifth-year senior Zeke Correll announcing he was headed to the transfer portal.

Notre Dame already got a glimpse into the future, and now that moment has arrived in full.

WHAT WAS LOST

Correll departs and takes his 29 career starts with him. He started two games in 2020, including the Rose Bowl game against Alabama. After starting four games at guard in 2021, the Ohio native moved back to center in 2022. A spring standout, Correll's emergence resulted in Notre Dame moving three-year starting center Jarrett Patterson out to guard, with Correll stepping into the starting lineup at center.

Correll started 23 straight games for the Irish in 2022-23, but he missed the last two games of the season with a concussion. He was a solid player for the Irish, especially in 2022. Correll was an undersized but tough player that also provided top notch leadership for the Irish.

With him now gone, the Irish will certainly have a less experienced player at center moving forward.

CRAIG GETS HIS TURN

When Correll went down against Clemson it was classmate Andrew Kristofic that stepped in at center, but he also went down. That opened up an opportunity for sophomore Ashton Craig to step into the lineup, and he performed admirably.

When Correll was knocked out with a concussion, causing him to miss the final two games of the regular season, Craig stepped into the lineup on a more permanent basis and his performance was outstanding considering the context (young player, first two starts).

Craig is a longer player than Correll, and as he continues to fill out in the strength program he'll add a lot more weight than Correll. The Indiana native is also an athletic player up the middle of the defense, which was evident in his two starts. With how much Notre Dame ran pin-and-pull concepts this season, having a center that moves like him adds value to those runs.

Craig showed good power for his age as well, and that will only get better. His footwork will need to continue improving, as Craig had a tendency to stop his feet when he made contact, especially in the pass game. It's not abnormal for younger players to have that issue and it's certainly correctable. When he did move his feet, however, Craig showed he can get really good movement in the run game.

His game still needs a lot of work, but Craig's performance in the first two games showed a lot of promise, and showed he's the future at center.

OPPORTUNITY FOR OTTING

Correll leaving for the portal opens up an opportunity for true freshman Joe Otting, who could likely get a lot more reps in bowl practices. I expect Kristofic to also get work at center in bowl prep, assuming he doesn't enter the portal, but Otting will also get more work.

Expect to see him get a lot more work in spring practice than he would have if Correll would have returned for a sixth-year. Otting is another player that various sources say has impressed the Notre Dame coaches.

Otting emerging could shake things up in the future. If at some point he proves to be one of the best five blockers he could move to guard, or Craig could do what Patterson did and eventually move to guard with Otting stepping in at center.

Whether or not that is something that happens down the road remains to be seen, but Otting will certainly benefit from getting the extra work.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

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

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter