Taking Six Offensive Lineman Makes Sense For Notre Dame In 2023
You won't hear me say this very often, but the 2023 class is the perfect time for Notre Dame to take six offensive linemen. There, I said it.
The combination of a new position coach taking over, the depth chart and current roster shaking out the way it should over the next couple of years and there being some extremely talented players remaining on the board have created the perfect storm.
Right now Notre Dame has four offensive linemen committed in the 2023 class. In most years that is the ideal number, and five is usually the max, but this class is different.
Notre Dame's 2019 class has just two players remaining, and when the 2023 class arrives that group will be fifth-year seniors.
Notre Dame's 2020 class signed just two players, and they will be seniors when this class shows up.
Notre Dame did sign five players in the 2021 class, but both Joe Alt and Blake Fisher looked special as true freshmen, and I can't guarantee that they will be on the roster past the 2023 season. It's still quite early, but if they progress the way they can, one or both could be headed to the first round of the NFL Draft following the 2023 season, which will be the first year this group is on campus.
Notre Dame's 2022 class had five signees, but since the group has yet to play a snap in practice or a game there is a lot of uncertainty, and injuries are always a concern with linemen.
Landing a bigger class in the first year back for line coach Harry Hiestand also brings value. None of the current commits were committed prior to Hiestand taking over, so this class will be made up in his image, so to speak, with players he wants. With the potential departures from the current roster to the NFL over the next couple of seasons, and with transfers or injuries it would make sense to be willing to take six blockers in this class.
Right now Notre Dame has Elijah Paige and Sullivan Absher as tackle prospects, Joe Otting is projected to play center and Sam Pendleton is an interior prospect. Absher is a tackle right now, but part of what makes him a strong pickup is his positional flexibility. Absher could play right tackle or both guard positions in the Notre Dame offense.
Notre Dame is also still recruiting Monroe Freeling and Charles Jagusah, who rank as the No. 1 and No. 2 linemen on the board for Irish Breakdown. Both earned higher grades than all four commits, which speaks volumes to their talent. Freeling is ranked as the nation's No. 38 overall player in the country according to On3 and Jagusah is ranked No. 7. Freeling actually ranks higher right now on the IB board, but both have five-star upside grades.
Talking to sources, the Notre Dame staff wants to figure out a way to bring in all six, and there's a path forward for that which makes a lot of sense. I've already talked about how the current roster could open up a lot of spots over the next two years, but practically speaking it works as well.
Freeling is truly special talent that could find his way onto the field as a true freshman in a backup role to Alt and Fisher as he preps to battle for a starting role as a sophomore in 2024. He is already 6-7 and 285 pounds, and once he stops playing basketball he'll quickly get over 300 pounds, and Freeling also grades out as a borderline five-star recruit on the Irish Breakdown board.
Landing Freeling and Paige in the same class a year after landing Aamil Wagner would give Notre Dame three talented pure tackles to compete for roles should Alt and Fisher leave early. Freeling would be Notre Dame's most talented signee since Fisher signed in the 2021 class, and he has the elite talent to follow in the footsteps of the great tackle tradition Notre Dame established over the last decade.
Jagusah might need a season to improve his technique, but he's physically ready to play early on. At 6-6 and 295 pounds, Jagusah has the size you want in a power right tackle, and he could also slide inside and be a truly dominant guard, following in the footsteps of players like Quenton Nelson and Aaron Banks. That versatility only adds to his value as a prospect. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Jagusah work at tackle, but pointing out his versatility is important should he quickly show himself to be one of the five players players on the roster.
Should Freeling, and possibly Paige or Jagusah play early, it would create some separation in the class from an eligibility standpoint, which makes the six signees a lot more manageable and easier to keep together for four-plus years.
The point of all this is simple. Notre Dame can and should make room for six blockers in this class, should they be fortunate enough to land both Freeling and Jagusah. Doing so would give Hiestand and the line a major influx of talent, solidify the depth chart for years to come and let the college football world know that Notre Dame can and will go anywhere and get the prospects it wants up front.
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Irish Breakdown Content
Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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