Notre Dame's offensive line shuffling may continue for another week.
Brian Kelly said center Zeke Correll is a game-time decision for Saturday vs. Syracuse (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC) due to an ankle injury. The sophomore sustained it in the Nov. 27 win over North Carolina, his first career start in place of Jarrett Patterson, who will miss the rest of the season.
“He has been limited in practice,” Kelly said of Correll. “He will go again today and we’ll see how that looks. We’ll make a decision on whether it’s Zeke or Josh Lugg at the center position.”
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Lugg started at right guard against North Carolina in place of Tommy Kraemer, who missed the game after an appendectomy a week earlier. If Correll can go, Lugg will play right guard again. If Correll is out, Kelly said Lugg will shift over to center and senior Dillan Gibbons will slide in at right guard. Kraemer is expected back for the Dec. 19 ACC Championship Game.
“Kraemer has been practicing this week,” Kelly said. "There’s no question at the right guard position. Kraemer could potentially play this weekend if we had chosen that route. We had not. We’re going to use him in an emergency situation if there’s an injury.”
Here are some other topics Kelly discussed in his final meeting with reporters before Notre Dame plays Syracuse.
On How Clinching An ACC Championship Spot Affects This Week
“The announcement doesn’t really change how we prepare for our performance on Saturday. It’s still important for our football team because there are so many things going on. No. 1, to win all our games at home for a third consecutive season, to send our seniors out on a winning note has always been important here.”
“And certainly, solidifying your resume going into the College Football Playoff. A lot of things to play for, but it has never really been about that for us. It’s much more about this consistency of performance and how you prepare for it. It’s really about preparing and putting together the kind of performance that needs to be consistent if you’re really entertaining any thoughts of being a championship football team.”
On COVID-19 Discipline Making Notre Dame A Better Team
“One of the things you’re able to build during this time that is so different than if we weren’t experiencing this incredibly difficult time is the ability to put aside the distractions that you’re facing on a day-to-day basis. They’re confronted with the biggest distraction, and that is you can get COVID and miss considerable playing time if you’re not maintaining excellent habits.
"You have to be on top of that 24/7. I don’t get the luxury to control them 24/7 in most instances. As much as we’d like to, we get them for a short period of time. Because of the climate we’re in, they have to avoid these distractions that could cause them to lose playing time. They’re building strong habits that you’re seeing play out on the football field.”
On OL Coach Jeff Quinn
“I knew what I was getting with Jeff because I have such a long relationship with him. But you have hindsight in the sense that I know what I had with (former offensive line coach) Harry (Hiestand) and I knew what I was looking for in the next iteration of coaching the offensive line. There’s a lot of information that you have when you’re firsthand watching the development and what needs to happen next with your group.
"Harry did a terrific job, and I knew what Jeff would bring. It was a different version of coaching at a high level. Jeff builds those relationships just like Harry did in a different fashion. Coaches extremely well. Everyone teaches a little differently."
"What Jeff brings to the table that’s maybe a little different than when he was at Cincinnati with me was that he was a head coach and got to see things from 30,000 feet. How that applies on a day-to-day basis is the recruiting, understanding how important the recruiting is, the player development and understanding clearly we’re going to do things for the best interest of the entire group, not just for the individual.”
On Players Using The Extra Year
“We’ve talked to our guys. We’ve had some conversations. Some are considering it. Some are going to look at what’s in their best interest. We’re trying to guide them. We want to help them make the best decisions as it relates to their future. If they can come out and make it a really good situation for them, or can they come back and parlay that into something better?
“They’re going to consider all those options. We’re going to help them with all that information. We’re not going to bring a guy back so we have a good team. We’re going to bring a guy back if it makes sense for them to come back so they can parlay that into a better situation. We’re having those business discussions.”
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