Notre Dame Must Strike Big With Top 2021 Offensive Line Recruiting Class
There is no excuse for Notre Dame not to land an elite offensive line haul in the 2021 recruiting class. It’s a tremendous offensive line year and there is a high number of blockers in regions that are favorable to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame needs four offensive linemen in this class if it wants to meet ideal numbers. That group of four needs to be impact players. If the Irish staff is going to sign the Top 5 class head coach Brian Kelly has talked about it will need an elite offensive line haul. In fact, even landing a Top 10 class is dependent up on that happening.
THE FOUNDATION
Notre Dame started the class off with a grand slam home run with it landed in-state star Blake Fisher. At 6-6 and 330 pounds, the Avon (Ind.) offensive tackle is absolutely massive, and he’s a powerful young blocker. What makes Fisher one of the nation’s best is the athleticism he combines with that elite size.
Fisher has excellent positional flexibility, which adds to his value as a prospect. He could easily play offensive tackle at the next level, but his combination of size, power, burst off the line and ability to finish also projects extremely well to guard. That versatility gives him a chance to get on the field much faster, as there are basically four positions he can play when spots come open.
Notre Dame fans are going to fall in love with Fisher, who has an engaging personality. He’s recruiting hard to add more players into the class. Fisher ranks as the No. 20 player in the country and the No. 3 offensive tackle according to Rivals.
MUST-GET
There are four “must-get” recruits for Notre Dame. Offensive line coach Jeff Quinn needs to land at least one player from the following group if it wants to have a quality class, but if Notre Dame wants to have an elite class, the kind we became accustomed to during the Harry Hiestand era, it needs to land at least two players from this group.
Failing to get at least two from this group would certainly be disappointing. Getting at least two will cement Quinn as one of the premier line recruiters in the country.
Rocco Spindler, 6-5, 290, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
Spinder is an intriguing prospect, and there isn’t a more versatile player on the board. The reason is not only does he have positional flexibility along the offensive line, Spindler is a dominant prep defensive lineman and could play the position in college as well.
The Clarkston standout plays guard at the prep level and he projects best as an interior player in college, but his length and athletic skills could allow him to play right tackle as well. He’s a powerful young blocker with strong hands and a frame that will fill out quite nicely moving forward. His technique will need refinement, like most young players, but he shows a good understanding of how to play the position.
Athletically, he shows a much better burst on defense than he does offense. As he shores up his footwork and pad level on offense you’ll see his initial burst as a blocker continue to improve. Spindler is an impressive overall athlete that works quickly to the second level, is good in space and has quality change of direction ability.
Spindler is a consensus Top 100 recruit and is ranked as the No. 49 overall player in the country on the 247Sports composite rankings. Michigan and Penn State are among the many schools after Spindler, but Notre Dame absolutely must get him.
Landon Tengwall, 6-6, 315, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel
Tengwall has been a priority recruit for Notre Dame for some time. The Good Counsel star is a consensus Top 100 recruit and the No. 45 player on the composite rankings. Rivals ranks the talented tackle as the No. 27 player in the country.
He played left tackle for Good Counsel as a junior, and he dominant. Tengwall possesses a massive frame, although he’s close to being maxed out from a size standpoint. He has massive arms and strong hands, and his arm length is ideal for the edge. Tengwall isn’t a top-notch athlete, but his length allows him overcome that, as does his advanced pass pro technique.
Tengwall is ideally suited to play in short areas, especially in the run game. He isn’t a great puller and isn’t as comfortable in space as he is playing in the box. Tengwall comes off the line well, shows good leg drive and once he gets his hands on defenders he doesn’t let go. Tengwall shows a good base in the pass game but he does get high at times in the run game, but when he bends and keeps his pads low he can dominate.
He plays against very good competition, so the dominant nature of his prep film is even more impressive in that context. Like Fisher, he could thrive at tackle or guard in college.
Tengwall is down to Notre Dame and Penn State. The Irish were once his leader but seem to have faded over the last year, and now the question is can Quinn get the Irish back on top.
Nolan Rucci, 6-8, 290, Lititz (Pa.) Warwick
Rucci reminds me a lot of former Notre Dame star Mike McGlinchey, another native of Pennsylvania, but the Warwick star is thicker than McGlinchey was at the same age and he has better lateral quickness. Rucci is a very long player that is 6-8 with above average arm length for that size. What I love about his game is that even as a junior he shows excellent pad level and knows how to keep his height from being a limiting attribute.
Rucci is a smooth athlete athlete that moves well in space, shows top-notch foot quickness and his lateral movements are excellent. He has elite pass pro tools and potential. Rucci gets after it in the run game, but he’ll need to improve his stance to improve his ability to step with more power at the snap. You can really see his burst on defense, and when he’s working the second level and in space his top-level athleticism truly shines.
He’s a competitive player that will mix it up and fight, but the scary thing about Rucci is that he’s listed at 290 pounds and is still thin. There is a lot of room to keep adding weight. Once that happens, and as he gets even more weight room strength, he has a chance to develop into a special left tackle. I would contend he’s the best pure left tackle on the board for Notre Dame, if not the entire country.
Rucci is the highest ranked player on the board for Notre Dame, at least in regards to the recruiting services. He is a consensus Top 50 national recruit that is the No. 14 composite player in the country and is No. 12 overall according to 247Sports. Both Rivals and ESPN rank him as the nation’s No. 34 overall player.
Rucci is going to be a very tough pull and the Irish have multiple programs they must overcome to get his signature.
Garrett Dellinger, 6-6, 265, Clarkston (Mich.) High School
Of all the players on this list, Dellinger seems to be the lowest priority by the staff, which in my view is a mistake. He apparently has a bit of a history of shoulder problems, but there are a number of top programs that seem fine with where he is.
Dellinger has a really nice frame, and he should fill out quite nicely over the next few seasons. The Clarkston standout is one of the better athletes on this list. His ability to reach the edge is impressive and he fires off well in the run game. Dellinger is quick getting into his pass sets and his lateral agility is top-notch. As a junior I felt he showed the pass pro ability and athleticism to play left tackle, although filling out his lower half is a must if he’s going to be able to anchor against bigger defenders.
The more he fills out his frame the better he’ll project as a run blocker, but he thrives with this aspect of the game at the prep level. Dellinger shows the ability to get very good movement on drive blocks, he’s quite good at staying locked on and he drives his feet through contact as well as any blocker on this list. With more strength he’ll be a better finisher.
Dellinger is ranked as the No. 32 player in the country according to ESPN and is a Top 100 recruit according to 247Sports and on the composite list.
WORK TO DO
The issue for Notre Dame is the board beyond the “top four” is short and diminishing by the day. The staff should strongly consider expanding the board until it starts to land some of the players listed above, otherwise it will struggle to meet the talent and numbers needs it
If the staff misses on more than two of the group above they’ll have a hard time meeting the numbers and talent needs in this class. The Irish recently offered Ocala (Fla.) Trinity Catholic four-star tackle Caleb Johnson, who has been on campus multiple times. Johnson isn’t the athlete of other players on this board, but he’s got tools to work with.
Notre Dame has offered Richmond (Texas) Foster four-star Reuben Fatheree II and Fairfax (Va.) Robinson five-star Tristan Leigh, two very talented players. But right now, Notre Dame is a long shot for both players.
