As a versatile senior along the offensive line, senior Mark Harrell is something we haven’t seen around Notre Dame in quite some time: Veteran Depth. No, we haven’t seen much from Harrell in his three seasons in South Bend. But he’s among the elder statesmen in Harry Hiestand’s position group, and a piece of the puzzle that can shift inside and out.
Harrell’s only seen action in two games, but has moved around the depth chart—spending some time as a backup center last spring, and now seemingly working at both tackle and guard to provide depth. While it’ll take some injuries to move Harrell into the starting lineup, the senior from Charlotte enters his fourth year looking to make an impact both on and off the field.
MARK HARRELL
6'4", 306 lbs.
Senior, No. 75, OL
RECRUITING PROFILE
The first-team All-State performer had offers from Michigan, Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina, South Carolina, Stanford and Tennessee. He also was a four-star prospect according to some services.
Harrell also got an “RKG” blast during Brian Kelly’s Signing Day press conference, giving you a look at the student-athlete off the field as well.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2012): Did not see action, saving a year of eligibility.
Sophomore Season (2013): Did not see action.
Junior Season (2014): Played in two games, seeing action against Rice and Michigan. Served as a backup at center, with the ability to also play guard and tackle.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
Pretty much nailed it:If we end up seeing Harrell in regular duty, it’s likely because something went wrong with injuries. If Harrell’s at center, it means Nick Martin and Matt Hegarty are down. If he’s in at guard, it’ll be because of an injury to Christian Lombard, Steve Elmer or Conor Hanratty.
Playing on special teams seems to be the most likely scenario for Harrell this season. It’ll give him an opportunity to provide depth, see live action after two seasons of practicing and add experienced depth to the roster. In years past, Harrell was the type of guy who would be starting by his junior season. It says quite a bit about the depth that he’s just fighting to stay relevant.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
Put frankly, not everybody can be a starter. And that’s the path Harrell is on—a reserve along one of the better offensive lines we’ve seen at Notre Dame in a long, long time.
From the looks of it, Harrell is making the most of his college experience. He was one of Notre Dame’s student-athletes that took advantage of the study abroad opportunities that took place this summer, touring South Africa with a group of Irish athletes.
Harrell will also likely have an opportunity to pursue opportunities after this season if he wants to, with the potential to graduate and transfer to a lower-tier program to play as a fifth-year graduate transfer.
CRYSTAL BALL
Harrell has the type of positional versatility you want in a backup. He served as a reserve center last year during the Blue-Gold game, and while he’s no longer on the depth chart behind Nick Martin, he’d likely be called upon in a pinch rather than burning Tristen Hoge’s redshirt. What happens if Ronnie Stanley or Mike McGlinchey go down at tackle is largely a mystery as well, so there’s likely playing opportunities, but again, only if things start to go awry.
Harrell will likely spend some time on special teams in 2015, capable of taking some snaps on field goal and punt teams. But the depth chart is packed and one of the toughest spots to get on the field, and Harrell’s lack of opportunity is largely because of the talent in front of him.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR