Notre Dame Football: 12 Former Golden Domers Remain in NFL Divisional Playoffs

Who do you like to advance to the NFL conference championships?

The NFL Divisional Playoffs are set and 12 former Notre Dame players are moving on to the second round.

Wild Card weekend saw one great game between the Lions and Rams and five other ones that left quite a bit to be desired.

As the NFL playoff field gets cut nearly in half, so do the amount of former Notre Dame players participating in the postseason.  The Irish saw 10 of their 22 former players on playoff teams eliminated this weekend.

So who is left and how did they fare on Wild Card weekend?

Chargers sign 11 players to future contracts

The Chargers signed 11 players to reserve/future contracts. All spent all or part of the season on the practice squad.

With the 2023 season over, the Chargers have signed 11 players to future contracts, according to the NFL Transactions wire.

EDGE Brevin Allen

DT Jerrod Clark

RB Elijah Dotson

QB Max Duggan

WR Simi Fehoko

DB Matt Hankins

OL Brent Laing

DT Basil Okoye

DB Chris Wilcox

RB Jaret Patterson

DL Christopher Hinton

All 11 players spent time on either the team’s practice squad or active roster in 2023.

The players will be added to the 90-man active roster when the 2024 offseason officially begins.

5 Stars: The best and the worst of Notre Dame’s win over Stanford

Once again, a lot of good for the Irish

The Irish really didn’t need to do much to defeat Stanford, as long as they played an average game, it should be a Notre Dame win. That’s exactly what happened, although you could argue that it wasn’t an average game for the Irish but a very good regular season win. There once again wasn’t too much to complain about, but here are the best, 5 stars, and worst, 1 star, performances for the Irish against the Cardinal.

Report: Texans C Jarrett Patterson sustained broken ankle against the Panthers

The Houston Texans offensive line has taken another blow with the injury to center Jarrett Patterson.

The Houston Texans offensive line continues to take on attrition, a theme that began in training camp with center Scott Quessenberry tearing his ACL.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the center position is once more the target of misfortune as rookie Jarrett Patterson is believed to have broken his ankle amid the 15-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium.

Patterson became a viable option at center when second-rounder Juice Scruggs sustained an injury during preseason. The former Notre Dame product slid into the role and was Houston’s Opening Day starter in the 25-9 loss at the Baltimore Ravens.

The sixth-round center has played 463 snaps for Houston, representing 99% of the offense’s snaps.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1416]

See it: NFL Irish pay off Notre Dame-Ohio State bet

Anyone else lose a bet to a friend or coworker this weekend that wasn’t for money?

The only thing that can make a thrilling college football game better is a friendly wager between co-workers.

We’ve all done them before.

Lunch or a case of beer are common, as is having to wear gear supporting the opponent after the fact.

That’s what happened with the Houston Texans between their rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, an Ohio State product, and Kurt Hinish and Jarrett Patterson who both played at Notre Dame.

We all know the result of the game at this point so on Monday it was time to pay up for Hinish and Patterson.  Check out that Stroud posted to Instagram below.

I will say at least the shirt Patterson got stuck wearing looks sweet.

Next time gents, next time…

Texans OC Bobby Slowik says C Jarrett Patterson is ‘extremely reliable’

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has confidence in rookie center Jarrett Patterson as the team prepares for Week 1.

The Houston Texans are going with a rookie center after all.

Scott Quessenberry, who started 16 games a year ago, tore his ACL and MCL early in training camp. Second-rounder Juice Scruggs assumed the position, but was placed on injured reserve to begin the 2023 campaign.

For the Texans, the philosophy has been “next man up,” which can be said of all other 31 teams. However, Houston went with another rookie in sixth-round pick Jarrett Patterson.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik expressed confidence in the former Notre Dame product’s ability to anchor the offensive line as the Texans face the Baltimore Ravens Sunday.

“The biggest thing that stands out with him is consistency and reliability,” Slowik told reporters Sept. 7. “You know what you’re going to get — he’s the same every day. He’s very, very sharp. Mentally, he’s on his calls, on his technique. He gets better every day.”

Patterson has displayed a bevy of traits since joining the Texans in May, but consistency has been exceptional.

Said Slowik: “He’s just extremely reliable for a young offensive lineman — that stood out from day one, really when he came in in training camp.”

In addition to Patterson, the Texans will start another rookie on offense in quarterback C.J. Stroud, making them the first rookie center-quarterback duo to debut on Opening Day in Texans history.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=601914802]

Report: Texans sign sixth-round C Jarrett Patterson to rookie contract

The Houston Texans locked up their first rookie of the 2023 draft class in center Jarrett Patterson.

The Houston Texans are making headway signing their nine-player draft class.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans signed sixth-round center Jarrett Patterson to a four-year contract.

Houston picked Patterson No. 201 in Round 6 of the draft. The Notre Dame product has the ability to play center and guard, which caught the eye of the Texans.

“He’s done both,” general manager Nick Caserio said after the draft on April 29. “Essentially it says he can play all three positions. How does he fare relative to someone else inside? When you’re taking seven to eight offensive linemen into the game, the ability to do multiple is going to enhance that player’s overall value.”

Patterson earned third-team all-ACC in 2020.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1416]

Texans GM Nick Caserio says C Jarrett Patterson has positional flexibility

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio says that center Jarrett Patterson also has position flex.

The Houston Texans appeared to make a redundant selection in Round 6 of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Texans picked former Notre Dame center Jarrett Patterson, even though they took Penn State center Juice Scruggs in Round 2 — trading up for the former Nittany Lion, no less.

What the Texans like about Patterson is his versatility, not just his experience as a center, both of which were on display at the Senior Bowl.

“Let’s say he and Juice are kind of similar, but they’re kind of different,” Caserio said. “Gives us a little depth and maybe some versatility inside.”

Scruggs and Patterson have played at both guard positions and center.

“In the case of Scruggs, center to guard, he can potentially play all three,” said Caserio. “Patterson has played all three. He started at center, I want to say in ’21 or whatever year it was, then he started at guard. He’s done both. Essentially it says he can play all three positions. How does he fare relative to someone else inside? When you’re taking seven to eight offensive linemen into the game, the ability to do multiple is going to enhance that player’s overall value.”

The Texans have three interior offensive linemen on the roster with Jimmy Morrissey, Michael Deiter and Scott Quessenberry, who started 16 games for Houston last year. Houston is also counting on starter-level contributions from Shaq Mason and Kenyon Green at guard.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

NFL draft: Texans draft Notre Dame offensive lineman on day 3

Congrats to Jarrett Patterson on being drafted!

Two-time Notre Dame captain [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag] has a new home after being drafted by the Houston Texans.  They picked Patterson in the sixth round with the 201st overall pick.

Patterson has been a main-stay on Notre Dame’s offensive line as he’s started the last four seasons.  He started his career as a tackle before moving to center where he starred.   He moved to guard for the 2022 campaign.  Patterson was named a second-team All-American at Notre Dame.

Patterson is the first Notre Dame product to be drafted by the Texans since 2016.  That year Houston used a first round pick on receiver Will Fuller and a second round pick on Nick Martin.

WATCH: Best Notre Dame highlights from Texans C Jarrett Patterson

Take a look at some of the best highlights from Houston Texans C Jarrett Patterson when he played for Notre Dame.

Jarrett Patterson will be tasked with protecting the Houston Texans’ new franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud in 2023 and could be a key part of the team’s offensive line in the coming seasons. A smart and instinctive lineman, Patterson’s status as a sixth-round pick belies his ability to deploy effective blocks on a consistent basis, and in time, he could go down as one of the best picks of Day 3 in this class.

Check out some of Patterson’s best plays from his time at Notre Dame below to get acquainted with his skillset ahead of the 2023 season: