Notre Dame Football: Zeke Correll could be the key for the Irish OL
By Brad Weiss
The 2021 Notre Dame Football team will have a new look up front along the offensive line, and Zeke Correll could be the key to their success.
During the 2020 college football season, the Notre Dame football team had one of the elite offensive lines in the country. Boasting four players who have gone onto the NFL, the Irish dominated up front, and it was a big reason why the team went undefeated during the regular season.
In 2021, the Irish will have to fill the void left by Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Aaron Banks, and Robert Hainsey, and they have the talent to do so. With a nice mix of veteran players, and even some true freshmen, the Irish have reloaded along the offensive line, and it could be the center who is the key to making it all work.
Zeke Correll stepped in for an injured Jarrett Patterson last season and made starts late in the season, so he is not only going into this season with experience but will get the first shot at being the starting center.
Notre Dame Football revamping the offensive line in 2021
Though Patterson returns, and was the center the last two seasons, moving him to offensive guard seems to be the move in 2021. With Patterson and Cain Madden at the two guard spots, and Correll in the middle, you would be hard-pressed to find a better trio at center and offensive guard in the country.
On the outside, Blake Fisher is expected to come in and start as a true freshman, while Josh Lugg is likely to man the right tackle spot. Fellow true freshman Rocco Spindler is also a candidate to start this season, but he is a guard, and unless Patterson needs to be moved back to center, he is likely to be the first guard off the bench in case of an injury.
Overall, the talent is there for this to be a special unit, as Patterson could be an All-American, and Madden was a huge get late in the spring. For the Irish, who love to ground it out with Kyren Williams, this group being solid is paramount for a successful season, and the man in the middle must play at a high level for it to work out.