Mix of young and old make up ND’s offensive line – The Herald Bulletin

SOUTH BEND Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand is back in South Bend for a second stint after leading the group from 2012 to 2017 with the Fighting Irish.

After a brief stay in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and some time off in between, hes back to coach an offensive line that got a lot better as the 2021 season went on.

Minus former graduate senior Cain Madden, everyone returns this season to man the line of an offense that will start a more inexperienced quarterback in either junior Drew Pyne or sophomore Tyler Buchner.

So far this spring, with all the experienced pieces connected within the trenches, things have been clicking as Hiestand continues to build relationships with his players.

Right now, I feel good about the way theyve approached the practices, Hiestand said. Just with their attitude and the way they come in willing to learn. Those are some of the things that were very important to us to get that going properly.

With a majority of the starters last season back, Hiestands been able to lean on some of the older guys to help transition into his new role with the Irish more smoothly.

Two of those returners are now graduate seniors in Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg. Both guys have battled injuries including now with Patterson sidelined after a torn pectoral injury this spring but will continue to be valuable assets on or off the field as the fall approaches.

Its always helpful when you get into the tough situations that you know are coming, said Hiestand of having an experienced offensive line room. You have to have people that bring out the best in everyone, and its nice to have guys that have been there and have experience and realize that its always just one play. Players like that dont let bad things bleed into other plays. They stay focused, and its hard to do unless youve been there.

Numbers have been lower than normal due to a number of injuries Patterson, sophomore Pat Coogan and freshman Joey Tanona have all missed time this spring but thats opened increased roles for players at multiple positions along the line.

With Patterson out, both junior Michael Cormady and senior Zeke Correll have split time in the middle to help alleviate the loss of the veteran center.

Wherever you get more reps at is where youre going to be more comfortable, said Correll of playing center. Ive been working at center, and I feel pretty comfortable there right now.

Were growing (as a unit), and weve gotten a lot better together this spring. Theres still a lot to work on and improve on. We do everything together. We eat together, watch film together and well go get in some extra work with each other. When we walk on the field, we are shoulder to shoulder. It sounds kind of crazy, but when it comes to football, it makes everything so much easier.

After solid freshman seasons due to some trial by fire because of injuries, both tackle positions seem to be settled by sophomores Joe Alt and Blake Fisher.

Alt played a big role in shoring up an unproven offensive line early last season, while Fisher showed impressive tools in spurts while also dealing with a knee injury that kept him sidelined for much of the season.

Fishers back to full health now and has looked every bit of imposing with his 6-foot-6, 335-pound frame.

You can see that theres a very talented player there, Hiestand said. Hes still somebody thats learning on the job and trying to figure out how he can be the best player he can be. A lot of our talks between he and I are about working on technique. A lot of games along the offensive line are won and lost on the ability to be fundamentally sound. You want to have a consistent technique, one that will make you successful at making your blocks.

Notre Dames offensive line has solid depth when healthy and has the starting pieces to again be what those around the college football landscape expect out of an Irish o-line in 2022.

With some players currently sidelined and Hiestand and his staff still putting the pieces in place, the group still has a lot to work on before putting everything together this fall.

Were a work in progress, Hiestand said. Were slowly improving. Our expectation is that we continue doing that. Were on the right track. Ill say that.

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Mix of young and old make up ND's offensive line - The Herald Bulletin