ANDREW KRISTOFIC
Pine-Richland High School; Gibsonia, Pa.Measurements: 6’6”, 265 lbs.Accolades: Consensus four-star prospect; All-American; No. 27 offensive tackle in the country, per rivals.com, and the No. 5 prospect in Pennsylvania.
Other Notable Offers: Notre Dame had a bit of a headstart chasing Kristofic, having spent years wooing his former teammate Phil Jurkovec. As Kristofic considered offers from the likes of Clemson, Ohio State and Wisconsin, that advantage paid off for the Irish.
Projected Position: Tackle.
Quick Take: There is plenty of room for Kristofic to grow, which may make his recruiting standing all that more impressive. An early enrollee, he will get a quick chance to begin that weight room work. If that does not take as wanted, he still has the size and the blocking acumen to serve well inside.
Short-Term Roster Outlook: Kristofic will have time to develop as needed, with returning starters Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey set to handle tackle for the next couple seasons.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: If a lineman puts in his time, develops and adds weight, he usually ends up with a chance at Notre Dame at some point. See: Ruhland, Trevor. That is as much about the depth needed at the position as anything else. The point is, Kristofic has a high ceiling, but there need not be a rush to get him to reach it. His time will come.
Coach Balis can't wait to get @AKristofic21 in the weight room this January.
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 19, 2018
The high school teammate of @pjurkovec keeps the Pittsburgh pipeline tradition alive.#GoIrish ☘️ #FightClub19 pic.twitter.com/Hg9KeR6sry
ZEKE CORRELL
Anderson High School; Cincinnati, Ohio.Measurements: 6’4”, 280 lbs.Accolades: Consensus four-star prospect; Under-Armour All-American; No. 6 offensive guard in the country, per rivals.com, the No. 4 prospect in Ohio and No. 95 recruit overall.
Other Notable Offers: If Notre Dame feels comfortable waltzing into Ohio and plucking any particular position away from the Buckeyes, it is offensive linemen. Correll was indeed offered by Ohio State, as well as by Alabama, Clemson, Stanford and a litany of other programs.
Projected Position: Possibly center, otherwise guard.
Quick Take: Correll has the body-type for an ideal interior offensive lineman, broad-shouldered yet able to deliver compact power. There may not be such a thing as an ideal center, specifically, but Correll’s clear understanding of the game could land him in the middle, handling protection calls.
Short-Term Roster Outlook: Notre Dame does not play freshman offensive linemen, unless they early enroll. Correll will. Even then, it is rare. It may not be much of a shock for Correll to crack the two-deep, presumably behind Trevor Ruhland at center, but relying on a freshman in the interior would be a bit of a bold move for the Irish.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: Notre Dame needs a center. Ruhland moving over for a year should serve fine, but even that will not be entirely ideal. Correll joins current freshman Luke Jones as the competitors moving forward. Jones’ head start may mitigate Correll’s higher ceiling for only so long.
Ever tried jumping through a brick wall?
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 19, 2018
Meet @ZekeCorrell -- you can't move this guy. Welcome to the fight! #GoIrish ☘️ #FightClub19 pic.twitter.com/ap9rQtq5EP
JOHN OLMSTEAD
St. Joseph’s High School; Metuchen, N.J.Measurements: 6’6”, 290 lbs.Accolades: Consensus four-star prospect; No. 16 tackle in the country, per rivals.com, No. 3 prospect in New Jersey and No. 111 overall recruit.
Other Notable Offers: While holding offers from a few of the biggest names — Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, just to pull from the middle of the alphabetical listing — Olmstead hardly showed much interest to anywhere but Notre Dame.
Projected Position: Tackle.
Quick Take: Getting into the weight room next month as an early enrollee will help Olmstead, who could use some added upper-body strength to balance out his pass blocking.
Short-Term Roster Outlook: Notre Dame will be set at tackle in 2019, with returning starters Liam Eichenberg (left) and Robert Hainsey (right). Current freshman Jarrett Patterson will presumably continue to back up Eichenberg, but Olmstead could conceivably inject himself into the competition to back up Hainsey.
Long-View Depth Chart Impact: Neither Eichenberg nor Hainsey projects as an early entrant into the NFL draft, meaning the tackle positions should be shored up through 2020. At that point, Olmstead will have as good a chance to crack the starting lineup as anyone else will.
He may want to study criminal justice, but the way he demolishes the opposition is a crime. @JOHNNYO_72 is joining our prestigious offensive line room. #GoIrish ☘️ #FightClub19 pic.twitter.com/n7oEMSJu46
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 19, 2018
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