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Notre Dame Football: Irish a top-5 finalist for elite 2022 OT

By Brad Weiss

Sep 14, 2019; South Bend, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are reflected in a helmet as they sing the Notre Dame Alma Mater following the win over the New Mexico Lobos at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2019; South Bend, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are reflected in a helmet as they sing the Notre Dame Alma Mater following the win over the New Mexico Lobos at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame Football is stockpiling elite talent for their 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes, and they could land a five-star OT from Virginia, Zach Rice.

Over the past few seasons, the Notre Dame Football program has had the luxury of having Liam Eichenberg anchor their offensive line. The All-American was a cornerstone of the offensive line and parlayed his great collegiate career into being a likely first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

To replace him in 2021, the Irish may have to move center Jarrett Patterson to left tackle, serving as a protector of Jack Coan‘s blindside. Down the road, the Irish could lean on one of the better offensive tackles in this year’s recruiting class, Virginia high school star Zach Rice.

Notre Dame Football top-5 for 5-star OT Zach Rice

On Sunday night, the towering offensive lineman from Virginia tweeted out his top-5 schools, which are also the schools he will be taking his official visits to. Among the chosen was the Notre Dame Football program, and for good reason, as few schools in the country get offensive linemen ready for the next level like the Irish do.

Coach Jeff Quinn has worked wonders with offensive line talent, no matter what their level of status was coming into South Bend, turning even three-star players into NFL-caliber offensive linemen. A five-star prospect like Rice would dominate under his tutelage, but to land him, they will have to beat out the University of Virginia, North Carolina, and five-star mainstays in Ohio State and Alabama.

For a young offensive lineman looking to get the most out of his career, the Notre Dame Football program should be the top destination.

Notre Dame Football: Impact of the 2022 and 2023 Recruiting Classes. dark. Next

Remember, the 2022 recruiting class is already ranked No. 2 in the nation, and adding a place like Rice could keep them there. This is a program that is known for producing the best-of-the-best in terms of offensive linemen for the NFL, and Rice would be joining a long list of punishing offensive tackles to play in South Bend.

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