Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Josh Lugg, sixth-year offensive lineman, likely starting right guard

By Douglas FarmerMay 29, 2022, 6:00 AM EDT

Getty Images

Listed measurements: 6-foot-6 ⅞, 305 pounds.
2022-23 year, eligibility: A sixth-year veteran, this will be Lugg’s final season, one granted by the universal pandemic eligibility waiver, along with the fact that he did not play as a freshman in 2017.
Depth Chart: The most likely starting offensive line for Notre Dame at Ohio State (97 days) will have Lugg at right guard, but it is conceivable returned Irish offensive line coach Harry Hiestand moves fifth-year Jarrett Patterson to right guard from center, leaving Lugg as the offensive line utility knife, called upon in case of injury at any of the five positions.
Recruiting: A consensus four-star prospect and U.S. Army All-American, Lugg committed to Notre Dame before the 2015 season. If slightly exaggerating the involvement of a pledge from a high school junior, Lugg will spend eight seasons as part of the Irish program.

When he chose Notre Dame over Alabama, Michigan State and Ohio State, Lugg did so on the advice of Hiestand, who was actually not only Lugg’s recruiter, but his first offensive line coach in 2017 before Hiestand headed to the Chicago Bears for two seasons.

CAREER TO DATE
Lugg served as an injury replacement in both 2019 and 2020, trusted at most offensive line positions, before he started all of the 2021 regular season at right tackle. A slight knee injury that required December surgery cost Lugg the Fiesta Bowl, where then-freshman Blake Fisher started in his place.

2017: Preserved a year of eligibility.
2018: Field-goal protection duties.
2019: Five starts at right tackle in place of injured Robert Hainsey.
2020: One start at right guard in place of injured Tommy Kraemer, two starts at center in place of injured Jarrett Patterson while the Irish coaching debated if it preferred Zeke Correll or Lugg at the pivot.
2021: 12 starts at right tackle.

In total, Lugg has played in 48 games in his career, putting him in the mix to tie Kurt Hinish’s record of career appearances at Notre Dame at 61, but he would need fifth-year linebacker Bo Bauer (51 appearances to date) to miss some games, as well as fifth-year safety Houston Griffith to miss at least one (49). Of note: Bauer has played in every game of his career.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
Those high school All-American games serve not only to give star recruits some exposure and a chance to measure themselves against the other best players in the country, but they also give those players an opportunity to make some connections.

Lugg developed some relationship with the IATW Foundation (It’s About the Warriors), based in Lugg’s hometown of Wexford, Penn.

@jluggnut thanks for coming to practice today ! @NDFootball 💪🏽🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/VjfTZPtabU

— IATW Foundation (@IATWF) May 24, 2022

QUOTES
While a nagging back limited Lugg late in 2020, he has largely been healthy in his career. His NFL draft stock was not soaring after the 2021 season, part of the reasoning for his return, but it may never soar. A multi-year starter at Notre Dame will end up with an NFL career to at least some extent, but Lugg seems like he will be at peace if that possibility does not materialize.

He instead focuses on the younger linemen. He discussed the responsibility he feels in working with them last fall, and then again in January.

“I want to come back, I want to help Notre Dame win, I want to become a better version of myself and win the Joe Moore Award, and a lot of the emphasis is on how I can help these younger guys coming in, develop, just like Hunter Bivin, Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson did for me when I was coming in,” he said.

“If I have another year where I can do that and help guys become Notre Dame men, then it’s definitely attractive to come back.”

That may sound like the kind of clichés that usually prompt a reference to Crash Davis, but Lugg offers them with a rare tone of sincerity.

“The most important things are our unit goals,” he said. “Help Notre Dame win, be the best version of ourselves and win the Joe Moore Award. If I really focus on that, then any personal goals that really aren’t as important as unit goals are going to fall into place.

“My mindset is really, help Notre Dame win, be the best version of myself each day, which is helping other people, and win the Joe Moore Award. If I have that in mind, then everything will fall into place.”

Taking all of that at face value allows for the possibility that Lugg could be knocked off the starting unit by Hiestand rearranging his pieces without causing any strife in the locker room. Lugg would simply keep working forward, despite losing that prominent role in his sixth season.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Lugg at tackle is a best-case scenario for him, and as much as Lugg has been a team-first player by stepping in wherever and whenever needed, by waiting his turn, he obviously hopes for some version of a best-case scenario for himself at some point.

“‘Being able to move and get my hands on you, use my length outside, and also be able to communicate my defense to the rest of the offensive line,’ Lugg said when asked why he was most comfortable at tackle, basically describing everything about the position in granular detail. …

“Here is a moment where perhaps the universal eligibility waiver during the pandemic could come into play. Lugg will have only so much film to show NFL front offices after this season. While it could be good enough to make him an NFL prospect already, it is more likely a second year of film could be useful.

“Notre Dame would have to have roster space, and that math is going to be a challenge simply because it is unprecedented, but a proven and talented starter at tackle is the type of building block to make an exception for.

“Otherwise, a healthy 2021 and Lugg’s length alone should make him worthy of a flyer by a front office at the next level.”

2022 OUTLOOK
Perhaps Hiestand moves Patterson to right guard, deeming the combination of Correll at center and Patterson at guard superior to Patterson at center and Lugg at right guard. Or perhaps that musing is the result of too much time to ponder during the summer.

It is most likely Lugg starts at right guard in Columbus, with Fisher and Patterson flanking him. The three of them combine to weigh 947 pounds. Patterson will be a preseason All-American and widely viewed as one of the — if not thee — best centers in the country. Lugg has experience, length and versatility, presuming his back holds up for a second year. Fisher is a generational talent based on the simple fact that he was the first freshman to start on Notre Dame’s offensive line in the season opener in 15 years and only the second to ever do so.

That could quickly become the strong side of Notre Dame’s offensive line. That is typically assumed to be the left side of the line, partly a nod to the usual elevated talent at left tackle and partly an Irish residual from the dominance of McGlinchey and Nelson in 2017. But there is no reason it cannot be the right side.

Notre Dame will run behind Lugg and Fisher with Patterson cleaning up behind them. It will pull Lugg to clear a path on the left side when variety is needed. Hiestand loves little more than setting a tone and then using a pulling guard to deliver a blow.

All while Lugg continues to mentor Fisher, sophomore left tackle Joe Alt, sophomore guard Rocco Spindler and the quintet of freshmen.

DOWN THE ROAD
Lugg has the measurables the NFL wants, and being a multi-year starter at Notre Dame provides him the pedigree. Hiestand will offer blunt and trusted assessments to front offices.

Lugg should get a chance. A strong 2022 could turn that chance into a mid-round pick, but he will probably end up an undrafted free agent, signing up for a few seasons of six-figure incomes before beginning his “real” life.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Josh Lugg (@jluggnut)

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
From Blake Grupe to Braden Lenzy, the offseason countdown begins anew
No. 99 Blake Grupe, kicker, Arkansas State transfer
No. 99 Rylie Mills, junior defensive lineman, a tackle now playing more at end
No. 98 Tyson Ford, early-enrolled freshman, a defensive tackle recruited as a four-star end
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, sophomore defensive tackle, still ‘as wide as a Volkswagen’
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a junior defensive tackle who tore his ACL in March
No. 91 Josh Bryan, sophomore kicker
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, early-enrolled freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90 Alexander Ehrensberger, junior defensive end, a German project nearing completion
No. 89 Eli Raridon, incoming freshman tight end with a torn ACL
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, sophomore tight end
No. 87 Michael Mayer, junior tight end, likely All-American
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, junior tight end
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, sophomore receiver, former four-star recruit
No. 80 Cane Berrong, sophomore tight end coming off an ACL injury
No. 79 Tosh Baker, one of four young Irish offensive tackles
No. 78 Pat Coogan, sophomore center, recovering from a meniscus injury
No. 77* Ty Chan, incoming offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, sophomore starting left tackle

tweet to @d_farmer

Friday at 4: Jack Swarbrick’s time at Notre Dame marked by retained Irish independence, not by hires or construction

By Douglas FarmerJun 9, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT

Getty Images

When Jack Swarbrick walks out of his Notre Dame offices for the last time at some point early in 2024, after nearly 16 years as the director of athletics, one thing will be beyond debate: Swarbrick will have left his mark at Notre Dame.

He took over after Kevin White left South Bend for the same role at Duke in 2008. While an athletic director has to worry about far more than football, Notre Dame’s athletic director will always be most judged by that program, and the Irish were coming off their losingest season ever, going 3-9 in 2007.

Charlie Weis would get two seasons under Swarbrick to try to right that ship, so it was not immediately realized the decade of checks the Irish athletic department was saddled with, but it was clear: Swarbrick inherited a football program, and thus an athletic department, that needed work.

He then hired the winningest football coach in Notre Dame history, navigated Brian Kelly’s surprise exit when 2021 Playoff hopes still lingered and instilled stability into the program in a moment that could have been absolute chaos.

Between those hires, Swarbrick oversaw the installation of turf at Notre Dame Stadium — it did not replace grass, it replaced literal dirt. He expanded the Stadium to include far more luxury suites and seats, perhaps a half-measure waiting for more work given the reality of who attends live sporting events nowadays. Swarbrick blessed the comedy of the visitors’ tunnel in the Stadium’s northeast corner and the return of night games beginning with the 2011 tilt against USC, though the piped-in audio playlist that October night was far from ready.

Add in the renovations to Purcell Pavilion and building Compton Family Ice Arena and those were the changes every fan noticed during Swarbrick’s 15 years-and-counting. Those along with hiring Brian Kelly and then Marcus Freeman, not to mention women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey (replacing Muffet McGraw after 33 years) and men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry (replacing Mike Brey after 23 years), making Notre Dame one of two FBS schools with Black head coaches leading all three programs (joining Syracuse).

In the short-term, Freeman’s, Shrewsberry’s and Ivey’s success will determine how Swarbrick is remembered, and in that order. No matter how 2023 goes for Freeman and imported quarterback Sam Hartman, years 3-5 of Freeman’s tenure will alter how Swarbrick’s tenure is retroactively perceived. The stability he conjured in 2021 was the product of deft maneuvering, yet it largely dissipated when the Irish lost to Stanford last season. Freeman’s coming successes or failures will be remembered and tied to Swarbrick far more than a hyped week a couple of Decembers ago.

Yet, how Freeman fares should not be the top bullet point attributed to Swarbrick. His long-term achievement of keeping Notre Dame independent through the 2010s and now seemingly through the 2020s has been the singular task of Swarbrick’s tenure.

The partial membership with the ACC, announced in 2012 and beginning in 2014, staked the Irish position through the first round of modern conference realignment. As Maryland, Rutgers and Nebraska all joined the Big Ten and the Big East crumbled under ACC influence, Swarbrick found a position for Notre Dame to continue as a football independent without sacrificing viability in any other sports. If it seemed like he had the Irish straddling a line, one foot in a conference and one foot out, that is because the balance of setting up basketball, hockey and all other sports for success while keeping football in a position unique to Notre Dame required such figurative flexibility.

That allowed the NBC partnership to continue unabated. It allowed the Irish to continue facing USC every season. And it gave Mike Brey, Muffet McGraw and Jeff Jackson conceivable paths to national title contention.

Navigating that same balance the last couple of years while the College Football Playoff pondered expansion solidified Swarbrick’s long-term stamp at Notre Dame. The Irish are now positioned to be a perennial Playoff contender when it expands to 12 teams next year, all while remaining a football independent during this Big Ten and SEC arms race.

The hiring of NBC Sports Group Chairman Pete Bevacqua to succeed Swarbrick certainly suggests the Notre Dame-NBC relationship will continue. (Writer’s Note: Those conversations occur about a dozen levels above this scribe and no NBC information trickles down to this keyboard.) If/when that officially extends past 2025, Irish football should be again clearly independent for the foreseeable future.

The day may come when that independence ends, but the fact that it persisted through the 2010s and is unlikely to end in the 2020s is a testament to Swarbrick’s understanding of the national landscape.

However Freeman, Ivey and Shrewsberry fare, whatever anyone thinks of the expanded Notre Dame Stadium, Jack Swarbrick keeping Notre Dame football independent of a conference in two decades of massive changes to college football is the landmark accomplishment of his 16 years as Irish athletic director.

tweet to @d_farmer

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 74 Billy Schrauth, sophomore left guard, likely starter

By Douglas FarmerJun 9, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT

Getty Images

Listed measurements: 6-foot-4 ½, 304 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A sophomore, Schrauth has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Schrauth pushed through a crowded field this spring, a position competition including senior Michael Carmody and junior Rocco Spindler, to emerge as the leader at left guard when preseason practices begin.
Recruiting: The No. 3 offensive guard and No. 68 overall recruit in the class, Schrauth’s recruitment will be best remembered for being the first task for Marcus Freeman after he was named Notre Dame’s head coach. Freeman quite literally went from his introductory press conference straight to Fond du Lac, Wis. Less than a week later, the consensus four-star had joined the Irish class rather than heading to his homestate power.

CAREER TO DATE
Schrauth did not play in 2022, at least in part due to a left-foot surgery when he first arrived at Notre Dame, the result of an injury that he played through in the final month of his senior season of high school.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
Schrauth keeps a low profile in terms of social media and such, but Notre Dame’s in-house social media team gave away his progress a couple times this spring. While the Blue-Gold Game featured fractured offensive lines, an intrasquad scrimmage in Notre Dame Stadium a week earlier offered better looks at the tiered units. At the 27-second mark of this video, spot Schrauth lined up alongside preseason All-American left tackle Joe Alt, Schrauth taking on a rush from senior defensive tackle Rylie Mills while Alt squares off with senior end Jordan Botelho.

Only the imagination tells how the snap ended, cut off in the video’s edit, but those three other names are all clear-cut starters, which makes it apparent Schrauth likely will be, too.

Had ourselves a day back home in the stadium#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/BqkSrwUiNd

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 15, 2023

That same week, a social-media video with a mic on new offensive line coach Joe Rudolph showed Schrauth lined up between Alt and fifth-year center and three-year starter Zeke Correll at least three times, as well as a fourth moment of those three in conversation with Rudolph.

In a starting role along an offensive line looking to return to Joe Moore Award-status, some name, image and likeness rewards should quickly flow Schrauth’s way.

We mic'd up @CoachJoeRudolph and the big fellas went to work 😤#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/ntyqALD20Y

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 14, 2023

QUOTES
The quote that will stick to Schrauth for years to come will be, quite simply, “It’s about hitting guys. I just like hitting guys.”

Schrauth said that with crutches at his side in his first media availability last winter as an early enrollee, and that mentality obviously fits the exact ethos wanted from an offensive lineman.

Rudolph saw that mentality, as well, when he arrived in South Bend this winter.

“What is different about Billy is he’s got an edge,” Rudolph said in mid-April. “He’s got an edge that truly brings a feeling of physicality, a toughness, a grit.”

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Schrauth played through a left foot injury in his senior season of high school. No further damage was done, but it was enough of a concern that he had surgery on the foot within a week of arriving on Notre Dame’s campus.

“Thus, Schrauth’s spring lifting was done largely one-legged. He missed all of spring practices.

“He may have garnered praise similar to Spindler a year ago, seen as a worthy contributor if the offensive line needed him. Instead, the focus is now on Schrauth getting fully healthy.

“A 300-pound teenager on a stressed foot warrants caution. There is no need to rush Schrauth back. Even if he could be listed on the two-deep, Notre Dame will have options at guard. From (Josh) Lugg, Carmody and Spindler, there is also fifth-year center Jarrett Patterson. Some speculation already expects Patterson to move to guard (and senior Zeke Correll to start at center). If so, that is another body ahead of Schrauth in that pecking order. If not, any long-term injury at guard would immediately reignite such speculation, again dropping Schrauth down the pecking order.

“For 2022, Schrauth may be out of the mix, but that should pay off for him in terms of health.”

2023 OUTLOOK
Schrauth worked his way into the starting lineup in the spring, and establishing cohesion among that first-team unit will be an August priority after Notre Dame’s offensive line opened each of the last two seasons sluggishly. Thus, preseason tinkering should be kept to a minimum.

Rather, the Irish should drive forward with the look of, from left to right, Alt – Schrauth – Correll – fifth-year Andrew Kristofic – junior Blake Fisher.

Since his freshman year, Alt has been lauded for his presnap communication. Back then, Jarrett Patterson was starting at center, and he regularly commented on how Alt would be blunt and loud in what he saw before the snap, and that played a part in the Notre Dame offensive line finding form as the season progressed.

That should now come at Schrauth’s benefit, lining up between a pair of three-year starters. It will not just be Alt’s ability to set an edge and Correll’s willingness to stick his head into a blitzing linebacker that will set up Schrauth for success, but also their preparation before those pass rushers even begin their assaults. If Schrauth is in the right position and understands his assignment, his physical skills should take care of the rest. That is one thing in practice — where Rudolph admitted Schrauth still has growing to do — but an entirely different thing in games. Having veterans like Alt and Correll next to him may elevate Schrauth from a learning sophomore into a distinct offensive asset.

DOWN THE ROAD
Schrauth needs to take advantage of those tutors in 2023 because Alt should not be around in 2024 and Correll may well not be, either. With Kristofic a fifth-year veteran already, though having eligibility through 2024, and it not being beyond possibility that Fisher could join Alt in the NFL draft, Schrauth might be Notre Dame’s only returning offensive lineman in 2024.

That is unlikely but not impossible.

Either way, the left side of the line will need to replace Alt, and part of that process will be Schrauth repaying the presnap perks he enjoys this season.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

tweet to @d_farmer

Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick to step down in 2024, to be succeeded by NBC’s Pete Bevacqua

By Douglas FarmerJun 8, 2023, 12:21 PM EDT

Getty Images

Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick will step down in early 2024 after more than 15 years in the role, the University announced Thursday morning. NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua will succeed Swarbrick, first joining Notre Dame this July as a special assistant to University President Fr. John Jenkins, focusing on athletics.

Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde first reported these plans.

“It speaks volumes about Notre Dame and Father Jenkins’ leadership that we can implement such a well-conceived succession plan and attract someone of Pete’s talent and experience,” Swarbrick said in a statement. “I have worked closely with Pete throughout his time at NBC and based on that experience, I believe he has the perfect skill set to help Notre Dame navigate the rapidly changing landscape that is college athletics today and be an important national leader as we look to the future. I look forward to helping Notre Dame’s student-athletes and coaches achieve their goals in the months ahead while also helping Pete prepare for his tenure as athletics director.”

Swarbrick took over the role in the summer of 2008. Since then he hired football head coaches Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman, as well as women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey and men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry, navigated Notre Dame’s partial entry into the ACC and kept the Irish actively engaged with the twice-expanded College Football Playoff.

Swarbrick told Sports Illustrated he would “love to do one more thing in the industry,” suggesting this is not an outright retirement for him, but it was important to him for Jenkins to choose the next AD.

“There’s a sense that it’s the appropriate time,” Swarbrick said. “It’s important for Father John to make the selection of the next AD, because I don’t know how much longer he’s going to go.”

A 1993 alumnus of Notre Dame, Bevacqua has worked at NBC since 2018, securing a Big Ten partnership that goes into effect this summer, as well as extending NBC’s deals with the NFL and the PGA Tour.

SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio At 2018 PGA Merchandise Show - Day 2 — *Pete Bevacqua, left, with former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz in 2018. (Photo by Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for SiriusXM)*

“This is an unbelievable honor for me and a dream come true,” Bevacqua said in a statement. “With the exception of my family, nothing means more to me than the University of Notre Dame. As a Notre Dame alum, I have a keen understanding and deep appreciation of the lifetime, transformational benefit our student-athletes receive in a Notre Dame education, one that is unique and unlike any other institution in the world.”

NBC has broadcast every Notre Dame home game since the 1991 home opener with the current deal running through the 2025 season.

Incoming Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, to SI: "“I’m a fan of independence, for sure. It’s another element of what makes Notre Dame different."

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) June 8, 2023

tweet to @d_farmer

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit

By Douglas FarmerJun 7, 2023, 12:30 PM EDT

rivals.com

Listed measurements: 6-foot-6, 295 pounds
2023-24 year, eligibility: An incoming freshman, Terek has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Terek will come nowhere near Notre Dame’s two-deep this season, needing to focus more on strength and conditioning while also getting a better feel for the idea of a move to an interior, something the Irish will at least consider with Terek.
Recruiting: A long-time Wisconsin commit, Terek reconsidered his college destination when the Badgers abruptly and rather surprisingly fired Paul Chryst. The rivals.com four-star joined Notre Dame’s class right about the exact same time Wisconsin was announcing the hiring of Luke Fickell.

“Notre Dame, they’ve got a pretty crazy track record,” Terek told Inside ND Sports. They do very well with their O-linemen. (Former Irish offensive line) coach (Harry) Hiestand is awesome. And they seem like they’re really building something there.”

WHAT WAS SAID WHEN TEREK SIGNED IN DECEMBER
“His massive lower body — which Notre Dame strength and conditioning coordinator Matt Balis should enjoy molding — gives Terek ample power, something that Hiestand could turn loose on many Irish running plays. …

“Give Terek some time to develop physically before locking him into the two-deep anywhere.”

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chris (@cterek77)

2023 OUTLOOK
Do not expect to hear Terek’s name again until the spring. That is not a knock on him, not in any regard. Rather, it is an acknowledgment of what to expect from most freshmen offensive linemen and, in particular, what to expect from them when Notre Dame has 17 scholarship offensive linemen on the roster.

Five of them are freshmen, and while early enrollee Sam Pendleton could perhaps crack the paper version of a three-deep at center, none should press for playing time in 2023.

Terek, perhaps more than the others, will need the year with no expectations. He played right tackle in high school, and the Irish are likely to try him out on the interior. At 6-foot-5, he is not yet too long to play inside, but much more vertical growth could change that.

Learning the interior footwork will be enough of a task for Terek as a freshman, along with the usual strength and conditioning work.

DOWN THE ROAD
With 17 scholarship offensive linemen knocking around, and three already committed in the next class, position competitions will be the norm moving forward, though there will naturally be front runners.

Current sophomore Billy Schrauth and fifth-year Andrew Kristofic should emerge as the starting guards this season. If Kristofic spurns his final year of eligibility in 2024, current junior Rocco Spindler should get next crack at a starting role.

Both Schrauth and Spindler could be around in 2025, with current junior Pat Coogan supplementing them if he has not grabbed hold at center. Only then can names like Terek, classmate Joe Otting and sophomore Ashton Craig begin to be considered.

All of which is to say, Notre Dame is in an enviable position. Offensive line talent is scarce on the transfer market. Individual players need to be staring at uphill trajectories like this if the program wants to be a genuine contender instead of just the 10th team into the expanded Playoff.

2023 Notre Dame signees Armel Mukam, Brenan Vernon, Sullivan Absher and Chris Terek are back on campus this weekend. pic.twitter.com/RYia3D0WfO

— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) April 22, 2023

WHY No? 75?
Terek wore No. 77 in high school, but current sophomore Ty Chan owns those digits in the Irish locker room. With offensive linemen largely focused on numbers in the 70s, 75 is one of just two available numbers (along with No. 71).

Perhaps Terek drops to No. 67, but for this penciling him into the content calendar, 75 fits well enough.

2023 Notre Dame OL signee Chris Terek (@cterek77) hosted Marcus Freeman and Chansi Stuckey on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/wlRv24SH8r

— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) January 14, 2023

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

tweet to @d_farmer

Inside the Irish

Inside the Irish

Inside the Irish

Inside the Irish

Inside the Irish