When Notre Dame offered legacy lineman Conor Hanratty, many raised an eyebrow. With sons of former stars like Tregg Duerson and Jake Golic doing little with the full ride many perceived as a nod to their famous predecessors, Hanratty had the profile of a player whose best attribute was his father, former Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty.
But after working his way up the depth chart, the Connecticut native showed that he earned his way onto the Irish roster. And in 2013, Hanratty played a valuable role as a reserve on an Irish offensive line battered with injuries.
Entering 2014 as a key backup at guard, Hanratty looks like another valuable contributor on Harry Hiestand’s offensive line. That’s all you can ask for from an offensive line competing for a job with this loaded depth chart.
CONOR HANRATTY
6'4.5" 309 lbs.
Senior, No. 65
RECRUITING PROFILE
Hanratty was a three-star prospect who didn’t make it on the national radar playing in New Canaan, Connecticut. But he had some interesting offers, including opportunities to play at Boston College, Cal, Clemson, Florida State, Iowa and Stanford before closing his recruitment early by picking Notre Dame in April.
Those are the type of offers that go to a big-time prospect, not a guy with just a big-time father. On Signing Day in 2011, Kelly talked about some of the traits that he and his staff saw when offering Hanratty, things we’ve seen in his limited action so far.
“What we liked about Conor was somebody that we believed over a period of time as we developed him he was going to be a really good football player for us. We liked his tenacity. He really got after people,” Kelly said. “He’s going to have to get stronger, going to have continue to work hard. Those are the things that we think we can teach him. He’s got some of those unique, innate abilities.”
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2011): Did not see action.
Sophomore Season (2012): Played in six games as a reserve offensive lineman, seeing action on special teams as well as in a backup role. Played against Navy, Michigan, Boston College, Wake Forest, USC and Alabama.
Junior Season (2013): Played in the final six games, making four starters at right guard in place of an injured Christian Lombard at right guard twice and then in place of Chris Watt against Navy and in the Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers.
UPSIDE POTENTIAL
For as much as we rave about the ability of rising sophomore Steve Elmer, Hanratty took multiple starts from him once Lombard went down. And with both Lombard and Chris Watt injured late in the year, Hanratty and Elmer saw the field together, a telling sign that Hanratty had worked his way into the long-term plans of Harry Hiestand and Kelly.
Hanratty doesn’t appear to be the type of player that was readymade for college football. But plenty of programs develop their front line, and it was interesting that Wisconsin was one of his offers, as they routinely take players and spend a few years getting them ready with training table and weight room time.
Far from the most physically impressive lineman on the roster, Hanratty still has traits that work at either guard position, where he’ll likely spend this season as the primary backup. And if Mike Golic was able to spend time in an NFL training camp, Hanratty is certainly capable of that, giving him the leg up in a crowded depth chart to start once Lombard departs after this season.
CRYSTAL BALL
In all likelihood, Hanratty is the next man in at guard for the Irish in 2014. But he’s also probably the sixth lineman, with Steve Elmer the first to kick outside to tackle if someone goes down there as well. So that puts Hanratty in a valuable position, the No. 1 replacement for Lombard and Elmer, while also getting onto the field if anything happens to Ronnie Stanley or Mike McGlinchey.
With depth like this, it’s worth seeing how Kelly and Hiestand split snaps. Do they make sure 2013 contributors like Hanratty and Matt Hegarty stay in rhythm, taking regular snaps and subbing in? That’s harder to do at center than guard, especially with Nick Martin locked in and healthy.
Hanratty is likely what life will look like going forward at Notre Dame. With the Irish recruiting up front among the best in the nation, it should routinely take two or three years to make it to the starting lineup. That makes for a longer development cycle and wait for players, but will serve the team better in the long run.
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