The biggest strength of Notre Dame’s 2021 recruiting class on paper is its offensive line, as the Irish signed its first five-star offensive lineman since the 2014 cycle (Quenton Nelson) when Avon (Ind.) High’s Blake Fisher put pen to paper. Rivals ranks Fisher as the nation’s No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 25 overall prospect in the 2021 cycle.
Notre Dame beat out Michigan and many others for Clarkston (Mich.) High’s Rocco Spindler, the No. 4 offensive guard and No. 67 overall prospect in the land.
The Fighting Irish flipped Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic’s Caleb Johnson, a four-star recruit, the No. 52 player in Florida and the No. 31 offensive tackle nationally, from Auburn. He also held offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Penn State and others.
Even Notre Dame’s two three-star prospects are impressive, as Fridley (Minn.) Totino-Grace’s Joe Alt has an extremely high ceiling with his tight end-turned-tackle frame, and Chicago Marist’s Pat Coogan picked the Irish over LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon and others. Coogan projects to play center or guard for Notre Dame.
The man that led the charge for Notre Dame recruiting all five of these prospects was offensive line coach Jeff Quinn.
On Friday morning, Rivals released its top 25 recruiters for the 2021 cycle, and Quinn was listed.
“Notre Dame has had great success producing offensive linemen in recent years, and that undoubtedly helps the Irish recruit the position,” Rivals.com’s Josh Helmholdt wrote. “When you look at the collection of talent that offensive line coach Jeff Quinn is bringing to South Bend, though, it certainly deserves recognition.
“Quinn slammed the door shut on the competition early with five-star in-state offensive tackle Blake Fisher. Quinn and other members of the Notre Dame offensive staff then went to battle and landed Rivals100 offensive guard Rocco Spindler and Florida four-star Caleb Johnson. Versatile Chicagoland lineman Pat Coogan and Joe Alt, who has NFL bloodlines, were also part of Quinn’s haul in 2021.”
Quinn’s future players have given him rave reviews during the recruiting process.
“Coach Quinn is a father figure to me,” Fisher said back in 2019 following his commitment. “I probably had the best relationship with him out of all the coaches.”
“We’ve sat down and done chalk talks; Coach Quinn believes I’m the top offensive lineman in this class,” Spindler said two months before his commitment. “He believes he needs to get me to be part of their team. They are just recruiting me hard and talking to me all the time.”
Rivals asked for recommendations from team sites for the top 25 recruiters for the 2021 cycle. BlueandGold.com recommended both Quinn and recruiting coordinator Brian Polian for the Notre Dame representative. Polian being selected would’ve been a fine choice as well considering how he led the Irish’s recruiting efforts in the unprecedented recruiting cycle.
Click here to see the other coaches who made the top 25.
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