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Notre Dame football: 5 early questions for the 2021 season

By Daniel Morrison

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly enters Notre Dame Stadium for an interview on a live broadcast of ESPN College Gameday from Notre Dame Stadium before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Clemson Tigers on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly enters Notre Dame Stadium for an interview on a live broadcast of ESPN College Gameday from Notre Dame Stadium before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Clemson Tigers on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /
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What does the new offensive line look like?  (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

What Does the Offensive Line Look Like?

The year after having the most experienced offensive line in college football usually means that you’re going to have one of the least experienced in the next season. That’s no different for the Irish heading into 2021. Aaron Banks, Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Robert Hainsey, and Colin Grunhard are all gone. Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg will return. Lugg replaced Patterson when he went down with an injury are the only two with significant experience returning.

They’ll likely play center and guard, leaving a guard and both tackles to replace off an offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award. The Joe Moore Award is given to the best offensive line unit in the country. That’s an incredibly tall order.

Luckily, we know the Irish recruit and develop the offensive line at an elite level. From Tosh Baker, the 6-foot-8 lineman who was an academic freshman in 2020 to Zeke Correll a sophomore who started against North Carolina and saw time in two other games who is ready to step up.

The truth is the offensive line is where the Irish are the deepest but don’t expect a smooth transition. The offensive line relies on chemistry and working together. This means there may be a period where they seem out of sync, but expect them to get that ironed out as the season goes on. Hopefully, spring practice goes off to let them get as comfortable together as possible.

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