Mike Drop: How Good Is Notre Dame’s 2021 Offensive Line Class?
In my first installment of the “Mike Drop” column a couple weeks ago, I discussed how Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn is unfairly criticized as a recruiter.
Well, where are the haters now?
They might be focused on the fact that Notre Dame didn’t receive current verbal commitments from a quartet of top-100 offensive line prospects. That would be insanely difficult to do any year for any college football program.
Of course, an offensive line class of Blake Fisher, Nolan Rucci, Rocco Spindler and Landon Tengwall was the ideal grouping. Yet anyone who expected that would be the case was taking residence in fantasy land.
Notre Dame was able to reel in a commitment from Avon (Ind.) High’s Blake Fisher, the nation’s No. 3 offensive tackle and No. 22 overall prospect per Rivals, last summer. Fisher will be a mammoth right tackle for the Irish down the line and is a force with his strength and athleticism.
Clarkston (Mich.) High’s Rocco Spindler, the nation’s No. 3 offensive guard and No. 56 overall recruit, rejected Michigan in favor of the Irish in front of a pro-Wolverines’ crowd yesterday. He’s been priority 1A (right along with the aforementioned Tengwall) since day one. Click here for more on what Spindler’s commitment means for the Irish.
Some Notre Dame faithful believe that all four Notre Dame’s offensive line commits should be highly ranked figures because it is also becoming “Offensive Line U,” in addition to “Tight End U.”
At the same time, three of the four offensive line pledges held offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma. That is one heck of a data point to consider.
Chicago Marist’s Pat Coogan, the nation’s No. 34 offensive tackle who is projected to play center or guard for the Irish, held those offers, but he doesn’t have the “four-star status” ardent recruiting followers want — although Rivals recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt has lauded the 6-5, 300-pounder’s skill set several times.
“Coogan’s value is amplified by his versatility,” Helmholdt said. “We evaluate prospects on their individual abilities, but when you consider him among an offensive line group where he can effectively play all five positions and plug in wherever there is greatest need, his value rises. When this 2021 class is signed, sealed and delivered, Coogan’s presence makes it a more versatile unit.”
And again, Coogan held around 30 scholarship offers including some of the powerhouse schools mentioned above. But because he doesn’t have a Rivals four-star ranking, some aren’t excited about the commitment. Really?
Fridley (Minn.) Totino-Grace offensive tackle Joe Alt, who Rivals ranks as a low three-star talent, didn’t have a long list of offers, but he picked Notre Dame over Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern and Rutgers. Stanford and Wisconsin were close to entering the race for him as well.
Alt's ceiling is legitimate. He played tight end last fall at 230 in a run-heavy offense and was basically used as a sixth offensive lineman. His father, who played for Iowa, made the switch from tight end to offensive tackle in college.
The result of John Alt’s move inside was being named to two Pro Bowls and a long career with the Kansas City Chiefs. His son has the potential to have a similar career, and he will have a head start on the move to tackle.
The fact is there are only three schools in the 2021 recruiting cycle to have two top-100 offensive line commits: Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Not bad company for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame is recruiting the offensive line at a top-10 level, and it could get better from here when you look at 2022 recruiting for the Irish.
Zionsville (Ind.) High’s Joey Tanona, a four-star tackle, is already committed, and the Irish may be closing in on other big-time players in the 2022 class as well.
What has occurred for the Fighting Irish offensive line is that the recruiting bar has been set so high by them, that even an excellent haul is viewed as merely the rule, not the exception.
That is a compliment to Quinn and the overall program.
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