Notre Dame football: Jarrett Patterson returns to center, opening job at guard
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team had one of the best offensive lines in college football in 2020, and hopefully, that trend continues in 2021.
Last season, Jarrett Patterson was the starting center for the Notre Dame football team, and he was darn good at his job. In fact, Patterson was one of the best centers in the country before his injury, and in 2021, was the only returning starter from an offensive line unit that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Despite that, he has been working at offensive guard throughout the spring, leading most to believe that Zeke Correll would be the center for Week 1 against Florida State. However, on the first day of Fall camp, Patterson returned to the center position, a place that head coach Brian Kelly stated he would stay for the foreseeable future.
With Patterson back to his normal position, it clears an opening at offensive guard, one that could be filled by true freshman Rocco Spindler. Both he and Cain Madden were with the second-team offense on Saturday, but both have a great chance to be starters in Week 1, especially Madden, who dominated with Marshall before landing in South Bend.
Notre Dame football surprising first-team offense
It was quite a surprise to see both Madden and Spindler with the second team, but it was Madden’s first go-around with the Irish, and Spindler is still a true freshman. One true freshman was already with the first-team, left tackle Blake Fisher, who has been the unquestioned starter at the position since arriving on campus.
Despite being with the second team on Saturday, the odds are that Madden will rocket up the depth chart, as he was a preseason All-American. The big question remains whether Spindler can crack the starting lineup in Year 1, and from what we saw in the Spring, he certainly has the size and talent to do so.
This is only Day 1 of a long preseason camp, and you can be sure that by the time the Irish take on Florida State, they will be ready with the best units possible on both sides of the ball. Madden was an All-American at Marshall, and Spindler has turned heads, so when all is said and done, the Irish could have two true freshmen in the starting lineup up front along the offensive line.