Notre Dame Football: Projected pre-spring game 2018 depth chart

With spring practices well underway, here’s a look at how Notre Dame football’s depth chart has been shaping up heading into the Blue-Gold game.

After many dreadful months of life without football, Notre Dame fans will get to see their team in action as the Irish suit up for this year’s Blue-Gold game. The game, set for 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 21st, should give fans an even greater understanding in regard to what the team will look like heading into the 2018 regular season.

With many moving parts on both sides of the ball, head coach Brian Kelly will have his hands full when determining who to roll out Week 1. However, there’s still a significant amount of football to be played, and in turn, a significant amount of time for changes to be made. With that said, here’s a look at what the depth chart looks like at this moment in time.

Offensive Line

Starting tackles: Liam Eichenberg (LT), Robert Hainsey (RT)
Backup: Aaron Banks

After much deliberation surrounding the formation of the offensive line, it seems as if the unit is finally taking shape. At left tackle, the presence of former captain Mike McGlinchey will be sorely missed. However, offensive line coach Jeff Quinn is confident in junior Liam Eichenberg’s ability to develop into a consistent starter at the position.

The right tackle position will feature a bit more familiarity as sophomore Robert Hainsey looks to make the position his own. After seeing roughly half of the snaps in 2017, changes along the line will allow Hainsey to establish a monopoly on the right tackle position as a whole. Backing up these two will be sophomore Aaron Banks, a four-star product out of El Cerrito, CA.

Starting Guards: Alex Bars (LG), Tommy Kraemer (RG)
Backup: Josh Lugg

One of the three linchpins on last year’s offensive line, fifth-year senior Alex Bars will make the switch from right to left guard this year in an attempt to take some of the pressure off of Eichenberg in his first year as a starter. Bars has been a solid contributor to the offensive line for years, and now looks to take on a leadership role with the departure of standout Quenton Nelson.

Due in part to coach Quinn’s “best player available” philosophy, junior Tommy Kraemer will be making the move from right tackle to right guard. With the departures of McGlinchey and Nelson, the once expendable talent on the Irish offensive line has been spread thin. However, sophomore Josh Lugg has played well this spring and could be a potential sleeper in the case of injury.

Starting Center: Sam Mustipher
Backup: Trevor Ruhland

One of the most underappreciated contributors along the Notre Dame offensive line, fifth-year senior Sam Mustipher has seen a lack of national recognition due to playing in the shadows of Nelson and McGlinchey. However, Mustipher’s time of recognition has come as he has been named one of three captains for the Irish heading into the 2018 season.

Mustipher has been incredibly solid for Notre Dame, starting in each of the team’s 13 games in 2017. Senior Trevor Ruhland has also been steady in relief and will certainly be a factor in the starting lineup should he choose to return in 2019.