Notre Dame Football: 4 biggest concerns heading into Spring Practices

Notre Dame Football: 4 biggest concerns heading into Spring Practices

Offensive Line

While they started to perform exceptionally well in the second part of last season, there certainly are still some concerns for a group that should be relatively solid. The schedule wasn’t nearly as demanding as the last half of the season and could’ve made the perfect launchpad for a struggling unit.

The emergence of Joe Alt certainly didn’t hurt the team at all.

With Alt, Patterson, and Fisher returning, there figures to be an excellent combination of veteran leadership and youth injected into the offensive line room. However, still being relatively young, the emergence of Alt and Fisher isn’t guaranteed to continue moving forward. While I wholeheartedly believe in the two young big guys, they still have a lot to prove at their respective positions.

Rocco Spindler is ready to become the next great Notre Dame offensive lineman, and newly signed and enrolled Billy Schrauth and Joey Tanona will feel the same.

Harry Hiestand is also back with the program, and while he sent some of the top Notre Dame offensive linemen of all time to the NFL, some questions remain. Coach Hiestand has received his fair share of criticism as a recruiter, and with NIL rules in play, recruiting will be key moving forward. Time will tell how the unit meshes together, and while this is a concern, I’m optimistic this group will be more than fine.