Notre Dame football: 2022 offense to be led by 2021 true freshmen

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 09: Tyler Buchner #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a pass against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first half of the game at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 09: Tyler Buchner #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a pass against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first half of the game at Lane Stadium on October 9, 2021 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Notre Dame football
Nov 27, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Joe Alt (76) blocks Stanford Cardinal linebacker Jordan Fox (10) during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame football: 2022 offense to be led by 2021 true freshmen

Offensive Line

One of the keys to the Irish turning their season around was inserting Joe Alt as the starting left tackle heading into the Virginia Tech game. Alt proved himself to be a great addition to the starting lineup, completely changing the narrative around this offensive line, as the Irish got back to dominating on the ground.

In 2022, Alt will return as a starter, but the Irish may choose to move him to the right side, giving the starting left tackle spot back to Blake Fisher, who earned the job as a true freshman out of camp. The duo of Alt and Fisher could dominate in South Bend for the next few seasons, but they are not the only 2021 true freshmen who should start in 2022.

Enter Rocco Spindler, who was widely regarded as a top-3 recruit coming into last season, but was left without a position due to the fact Jarrett Patterson returned at center, and Cain Madden was brought in to start at the guard spot as a graduate transfer. Spindler is someone who has All-American potential, and I believe he could be one of the breakout stars for this program next season.