Tag: O Line U

Draft fact further solidifies Notre Dame as ‘O-Line U’

Is there any doubt that Notre Dame is ‘O Line U”?

Who is the real “O-Line U?”

If you’re basing it off success, then it’s not even a question the title belongs to Notre Dame. The Irish have a legit contender as the best at each offensive line position currently playing in the NFL.

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ selection of Robert Hainsey at No. 95 Friday night, Notre Dame also joined very rare air as an offensive line factory.

Liam Eichenberg (Dolphins, 42nd) and Aaron Banks (49ers, 48th) going earlier in the draft set Notre Dame up for something that hadn’t happened in the last 20 years of the NFL draft.

So Notre Dame just accomplished something done once every 20 years or so.

Great news, but also further proof of the extend of the overhaul the Fighting Irish offense will be going through in 2021.

Related:

Instant Twitter reaction: Notre Dame’s Banks selected by San Francisco

Instant Twitter reaction: Notre Dame’s Eichenberg selected by Miami

Watch: Aaron Banks gets ‘The Call’ from 49ers

Pro Football Focus ranks Notre Dame’s offensive tackles among the best

That’s an impressive pair

The Irish have long been in the conversation for “[autotag]O-Line U[/autotag]” and every year their argument gets stronger and stronger. Not only do the Irish have one of the best centers in the country in [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag], the presumed starting offensive tackles are among the best in the country as well.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Top 25 OT’s in the country and both [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag] were on their list. Fisher checked in first, at 10th, even though he is coming off an injury last year that took away most of his season. Alt was ranked just a few behind Fisher at 14th, making the pair one of three teams, Ohio State and Miami (FL), to have both their tackles ranked inside the Top 15 by PFF.

Anthony Treash goes a bit more in depth on their selection of Fisher, as he was named one of their “biggest projections” mainly due to his knee injury. Treash believes that Fisher “has the chance to establish himself as the next great blocker up front for the team as a starter at right tackle this fall.”

If you want to get nit-picky, Alt probably should be ranked above Fisher due to his exploits last year but having both starting tackles on this list is still very impressive. These two will be around through at least the end of next season, as both of them are second-year players.

[lawrence-related id=58472]

[listicle id=58339]

[listicle id=58306]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Current Notre Dame commit tries to entice recruit who commits this week

“The Great Wall of South Bend” could be close to completion

The offensive line has long been a strength for the Irish, often the moniker of [autotag]“O-Line U”[/autotag] is dropped when talking about the tradition. That tradition has a very good chance of succeeding, in the present and beyond.

Center [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag] was named a 1st team preseason All-American by Walter Camp. Rising sophomores [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag] and [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag] look like stalwarts on the line for at least the next two seasons before their inevitable move to the NFL.

The 2023 recruiting class is trying to hold up their end of the bargain with [autotag]Sullivan Absher[/autotag], [autotag]Elijah Paige[/autotag], [autotag]Sam Pendleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Otting[/autotag] currently committed to the Irish. Pendleton is looking for yet another lineman to join the class, Illinois tackle [autotag]Charles Jagusah[/autotag].

If Jagusah is to commit, which he intends to do this Thursday, it would make a very impressive five commits along the line and most likely would complete the position for the 2023 cycle. As Pendleton put it, “The Great Wall of South Bend” would be complete with Jagusah.

[lawrence-related id=57979]

[lawrence-related id=57910]

[listicle id=57985]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

247Sports: Notre Dame in the mix for nations top 2023 offensive tackle

If Freeman and Hiestand pull this one off…. WOW

For many years the Irish held the mantle of [autotag]O-Line U[/autotag] and although recently there has been a slight lull in production, they could very well be taking back the title. On the current roster, three offensive linemen, tackles [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag] along with center [autotag]Jarrett Patterson[/autotag] will be drafted high when they declare to the NFL.

Of the 2022 recruiting class, [autotag]Billy Schrauth[/autotag], [autotag]Joey Tanona[/autotag], [autotag]Ty Chan[/autotag] and [autotag]Aamil Wagner[/autotag] were some of the most highly thought of signees, each of them will start their careers on the o-line as well. The 2023 class already has commitments from [autotag]Sullivan Absher[/autotag] and [autotag]Sam Pendleton[/autotag], but [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is still looking for the headliner of the offensive line.

Enter Massachusetts’ [autotag]Samson Okunlola[/autotag], a six-foot-six-inch and 295-pound future star. He’s viewed as a five-star prospect and 247Sports Brian Dohn believes that the Irish are one of the few teams that realistically have a shot at landing Okunlola’s eventual signature.

It won’t be easy for returning offensive line coach [autotag]Harry Hiestand[/autotag], as Penn State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, and Pittsburgh were also mentioned as potential destinations for Okunlola as well.

Dohn, however gives the Irish a fighting chance, due to “the academics, the idea of what the degree means on a national level after graduation and playing at a prestigious school are all things that could resonate” with the mammoth tackle. What isn’t in the Irish’s favor however was that Okunlola has very to visit South Bend and didn’t stop by during his spring visit to the Midwest.

As Dohn mentions that Okunlola will take visits later in the year and most likely very few will be during the season due to his high school playing all their games on Saturday’s. Either way, Freeman and Hiestand are in for quite a battle for the tackles eventual signature, but one where they currently are seen as having a legit shot at.

[listicle id=29791]

[lawrence-related id=56297]

[lawrence-related id=56287]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

Former Notre Dame star officially done for the year

Tough break for a former Notre Dame star.

Things hadn’t gone according to plan early in the 2021 season for Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and on Tuesday his season officially came to an end.

Stanley inked a long-term deal in 2020 before breaking his ankle and returned to the field in Week One of this season for Baltimore but hadn’t played since.  The Ravens announced Tuesday that Stanley will have another procedure on that ankle and will miss the remainder of the 2021 season.

“This is not what I wanted or expected when coming into the season,” Stanley stated. “Throughout the last year, I did everything I could to be 100% healthy so I could be out there playing for our team and city. As a competitor, I have a mindset of sacrificing my body for my brothers and my team to reach our goals. At this point in time, my ankle isn’t where it should be.

“This is the best decision not only for my health, but also for the team long term. I look forward to supporting my team from the sideline this season and coming back fully healthy in 2022.” – Ronnie Stanley

Stanley’s current deal goes through 2025 after signing that five-year extension that pays him $98.75 million with $64 million being guaranteed.

Related:

40 Notre Dame players on NFL rosters to start 2021

Notre Dame-USC: Fun facts about epic rivalry

Notre Dame defender named midseason All-American

Does a certain stat validate Notre Dame’s status as O-Line U?

A stat brought to light by Pro Football Focus shows why Notre Dame should be at the top of the O-Line U rankings.

Plenty of schools argue back and forth which team has sent the best talent from their universities off to the NFL. There was an interesting stat that Pro Football Focus brought to light recently that should give Notre Dame fans plenty of ammo to fight off those other schools as to who produces the best offensive line talent into the NFL.

The number of snaps played is a great indicator of talent, especially along the O-Line where there aren’t many stats to back-up performance. Multiple former Notre Dame linemen stars including Quenton Nelson, Sam Mustipher, Mike McGlinchey and Zach Martin are huge forces for their NFL teams.

Not only that, we should see each of the four NFL Draft eligible (Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks) ultimately hear their names being called in late April.

Jarrett Patterson will also hear his name getting called when he leaves South Bend and surely some of the younger players like Tosh Baker, Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler and Zeke Correll should make it to the next level as well.

It’s safe to say that for the time being, Notre Dame holds the mantle of O-Line U.

Notre Dame’s offensive line named best in the country

The big guys up front for Notre Dame get some recognition from Pro Football Focus.

Although they don’t normally get much recognition, the Notre Dame offensive line continues to impress. We all knew going into the year the starting five was among the best in the country, but they still had to prove it on the field. Well, they certainly have lived up to the billing.

The Irish have graded out by Pro Football Focus as having the best offensive line in the country. Aaron Banks, Liam Eichenberg, Jarrett Patterson, Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey should get the majority of credit for the group, but you can’t discount what Zeke Correll and Josh Lugg have done filling in as well.

PFF singled out Eichenberg as well, and rightfully so. That’s a extremely impressive stat not having given up a sack in over two full seasons.

The line has given time for Ian Book to find his receivers and opened up huge holes for runnings backs to run through. Kyren Williams is 10th nationally in rushing yards while the offense averages over 450 total yards a game.

Games are typically won up front, and the Irish have a distinct advantage with their offensive line.

Notre Dame football: red hot run continues as Caleb Johnson commits

Notre Dame football wins again during their bye week, this time flipping an Auburn football commitment to the Irish. Hello, Caleb Johnson!

One of the questions asked by some after Notre Dame upset Clemson less than two weeks ago wasn’t about what it meant for the Fighting Irish program on the field in 2020, but what it meant down the road, specifically in recruiting.

Just 13 days since the 47-40, two overtime classic that saw Notre Dame knock off No. 1 for the first time in 27 years, the returns are already massive.

Notre Dame has started turning that win and the successes of 2020 on the field onto victories in the recruiting world as Philip Riley, Jr. switched his commitment from USC to the Irish earlier this week and then the likes of kicker Josh Bryan and outside linebacker Kahanu Kia announced commitments as well.

Then on Thursday night Notre Dame saw another big-time prospect flip from a football powerhouse and commit to the Irish instead as offensive tackle Caleb Johnson became commitment number 23 in the 2021 recruiting class.

Johnson had committed to Auburn back in May but had a change of heart that will see him be another massive piece on what is an absolute haul of a recruiting class on the offensive line.

Johnson is listed at 6-7, 295 pounds, and comes from Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Florida.  He has a three-star grade according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Related: Meet Notre Dame’s 2021 Recruiting Class

As well as Auburn, Johnson held offers from more than 35 programs including big-time programs like Alabama, LSU, Miami, Penn State and plenty of others.

Johnson joins an offensive line class that already includes five-star tackle Blake Fisher, four-star guard Rocco Splinder as well as Minneapolis tackle Joe Alt and Chicago guard Pat Coogan.

Is the Notre Dame Offensive Line the best group in the country?

Five returning starters give the Irish a very formidable group, but just how good are they when compared to other top groups?

A long history of putting offensive linemen into the NFL has obviously gotten the notice of plenty of national pundits. Mike Farrell, the Recruiting Director over at Rivals, has ranked the best group of five offensive linemen in the country and the Irish came out on top of the list.

It’s not just one elite player on the line that Farrell likes its everyone “from Liam Eichenberg to Aaron Banks to Robert Hainsey, the front is loaded with talent and should pave the way for a strong running game and a dangerous offense under Ian Book.” The Irish will depend on the offensive line to pave holes for a very green running backs unit. They will also have to give Book enough time to find his also green wide receivers.

It is a very good luxury to have all five returning starters, with the aforementioned three along with Tommy Kraemer and Jarrett Patterson, to help ease the offense this coming season. Having a line that has been through the trials of a season together will surely help as Book finds go to targets and who will be the lead running back. You can add in Josh Lugg into the mix as well in case an injury occurs. Winning the battle on the trenches is often a good sign for great teams, and if the Irish offensive line plays up to expectations, you can expect very good results.

Notre Dame in NFL: An Insane 2019 Ronnie Stanley Stat

We all know Ronnie Stanley had an insane 2019 in terms of pass blocking but just how absurd was it in a historical context?

Notre Dame was recently credited by Sports Illustrated as being “Offensive Line U” for the stars they put in the league.

Going into 2019 Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson were established stars on the inside, even if Nelson had only played one NFL season.  Ronnie Stanley was by no means a disappointment entering 2019 but he wasn’t in the territory of either of those two, either.

Then again, few are.

Ronnie Stanley didn’t just take a nice stride in 2019 though, he just an enormous leap.  Pro Football Focus analyzed his season and called him the Pass Blocker of the Year at the end of the regular season.  Now they’ve released information on just how great his 2019 was.

A 14 year window and no pass blocker allowed fewer pressures than Stanley did in 2019.

This is to take nothing away from Stanley because he was clearly great and a key part in Lamar Jackson stunning the league and winning the league MVP.  However, it is worth noting that Stanley did miss two games for the Ravens last year and that Baltimore did run the ball 98 more times than any other team in all of the NFL last season.

That all said, Ronnie Stanley still had a monstrous season worthy of the All-Pro and Pro Bowl accolades he received.