An early offer and commitment, offensive lineman Trevor Ruhland begins his Notre Dame career on a developmental track that requires patience. A two-way high school player, Ruhland will focus on life on the interior of the Irish offensive line, learning from an established depth chart that’s quickly become a war chest of talent.
Far from the highest-ranked offensive lineman, Ruhland projects as a scrappy mauler on the interior. And while his best days may be a season or two away, he’s another piece of the puzzle for Harry Hiestand to make fit.
TREVOR RUHLAND
6'4", 285 lbs.
Freshman, No. 57, OL
RECRUITING PROFILE
More of a regional recruit than a national target, Ruhland likely had limited offers due to the fact that he committed to Notre Dame well in advance of his senior season and stayed off the camp circuit.
A first-team All-State and All-Area player, Ruhland also chipped in on the defensive line of a program that finished runner-up for the 7A state title in Illinois.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
Get back to me this spring.
In Ruhland, it’s tough to know what you have until you see him in pads and stack him up against the rest of the offensive line. His high school tape showcases a guy who isn’t afraid to battle in the trenches, but then again, Notre Dame’s entire depth chart does the same.
That said, if you’re looking for something that could set Ruhland apart, take a gander at his Signing Day video, where Tom Lemming compared him to Chris Watt and Harry Hiestand talked about his physicality and demeanor during Notre Dame’s one-day lineman camp. Sounds like a good start.
CRYSTAL BALL
There are redshirt candidates and then there are redshirt guarantees. It sure feels like Ruhland is all but guaranteed to spend this season learning and in the weight room, likely one of two seasons where most of the reps he takes are on the practice field.
But as we look forward, Ruhland will be competing with a fairly large group of lineman to replace Steve Elmer after 2016 (and potentially Quenton Nelson if he shifts outside to tackle), and could also be a candidate to try snapping, potentially throwing his name into the hat of a fairly wide-open center battle once Nick Martin heads to the NFL.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR