Notre Dame football: What does OL Sam Pendleton bring to the Irish?
By Carlee North
The 2023 recruiting class for the Notre Dame football team is going to be a special one, as the Irish landed another four-star recruit on Monday.
Notre Dame football has landed 2023 offensive lineman, out of North Carolina, Sam Pendleton. The Irish offered Pendleton not long ago in March and it became evident that he was highly interested after making it a priority to get to campus.
He got up to South Bend in April for a big visit and that visit is what seemed to change it all. He was welcomed with open arms by the current lineman at Notre Dame, feeling like he was part of the close-knit group already.
He got a real feel for the life as a Notre Dame offensive lineman and it stuck with him.
The relationship with Coach Hiestand and Freeman helped here as well along with the obvious track record that Hiestand holds under his belt. It was only a matter of time and Pendleton decided he knew Notre Dame was where he wanted to be and made it public tonight in favor of the Irish.
At the moment Pendleton holds 20 offers from the likes of Clemson, Stanford, Penn State, and many others. He had a final four of Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida, and the hometown team in NC State before ultimately picking the Irish.
What does Sam Pendleton bring to this Notre Dame football team?
The 6’4 305-pound offensive lineman is going to bring some major strength and brutality to the middle of the offensive line. Pendleton is easily going to project as an interior lineman for Notre Dame and that’s where he belongs in my eyes.
He’s a mauler and could be considered one of the top-run blockers in this class. His strength and the push he gets off the line are off the charts and something that Hiestand loves about him.
He plays tackle in high school so that proves he’s well-rounded as well with very quick feet and side-to-side movement for his size. To me he’s underrated and I’d expect him to climb up the ranks if he gets to camps throughout the next couple of months. He’s such a big body guy and his lower body is very thick which will translate well in the interior of the line at guard.
Once he gets into the strength program in South Bend all bets are off for him if he’s able to translate well to the college demand for an offensive lineman, especially at Notre Dame.
With Pendleton committing this evening the 2023 class now has 10 pledges with four on offense and six on the defensive side of the ball. Pendleton is the first of the offensive line group and I’d expect at least four in the class with a high possibility that it could be five if the chips fall right for Notre Dame.
It seems Hiestand was looking for big, strong, and inside guys early and often since he’s been back in South Bend and Pendleton is just the player that he has been looking for. Nice start for the offensive line room this cycle and don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon with plenty of spots left to fill.