Notre Dame C Zeke Correll ruled OUT for Wake Forest game
In Week 12 against Wake Forest, Notre Dame will be without its starting center. Graduate center Zeke Correll is unavailable for Saturday’s game, two weeks after suffering a concussion in the Irish’s loss to Clemson.
With Correll out, the Irish will likely start sophomore center Ashton Craig. Graduate interior offensive lineman Andrew Kristofic, who gave way to Craig after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the same game, is an option as well.
Everyone else on the two-deep Notre Dame depth chart is expected to play against Wake Forest.
Correll, who has started every game for Notre Dame so far this season, has posted a 78.0 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade in 2023. He’s allowed only 11 pressures and 2 sacks in 272 opportunities. In his third year as a starter, that mark is the highest of Correll’s career.
Run-blocking has hurt Correll’s overall grade, which is at 61.7 so far this season. His experience has proven valuable on an offensive line that has first-year starters (juniors Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler) at right and left guard, and against Wake Forest, the Irish will feature another new face on the interior offensive line. Spindler is out for the season with an MCL injury, so sophomore Billy Schrauth will start on the right side.
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A four-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting cycle out of Cincinnati Anderson, Correll was the No. 99 player and No. 5 interior offensive lineman in the On3 Industry Ranking. He committed to Notre Dame on June 16, 2018. The fifth-year center is scheduled to be one of 31 players to participate in Notre Dame’s Senior Day ceremonies.
In the first meaningful action of his career Craig’s career on Nov. 4, with Correll sidelined with the concussion and Kristofic out with the ankle injury, Craig performed well. He posted a 71.9 overall grade and allowed no pressures in 20 opportunities, earning an 82.6 pass-blocking grade.
Freeman praised Craig’s ability to operate the offense on short notice against Clemson.
“Ashton did a great job filling in, the third center,” Freeman said after the game. “I haven’t watched the film, I don’t know what the result of some of the pressure was, but for having to come in and to be the third center, I’m happy and pleased with him being able to do that.”
Notre Dame and Wake Forest are scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in South Bend.
