Notre Dame guard/center Andrew Kristofic leaves Fighting Irish
Notre Dame graduate student guard/center Andrew Kristofic has left the Fighting Irish, a team spokesperson confirmed to Blue & Gold on Tuesday. He has stepped away from football, deciding to be done with both the game and college itself after five seasons in South Bend.
Kristofic had one season of eligibility remaining, the proverbial “COVID year,” and did not make an official announcement about his future. He ends his Irish career with 47 games played, eight starts and two degrees: a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in business analytics.
According to Kristofic’s LinkedIn page, he will try to start a career in the financial planning services industry in the early months of 2024.
Kristofic came to Notre Dame out of Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine-Richland as the No. 177 player in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking, as well as the No. 17 offensive tackle and the top recruit in Pennsylvania. He redshirted as a freshman, playing in the requisite four games. He saw action in four games again as a sophomore in 2020, mostly in blowouts, and started to compete for significant playing time as a junior in 2021.
That season, Kristofic started Notre Dame’s final seven games, including the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.
In 2022, Kristofic started one game — the season opener at Ohio State — in place of injured starter Jarrett Patterson. He handled Ohio State’s fierce defensive line relatively well. He only allowed one pressure in 23 opportunities, facing the likes of Michael Hall Jr. and (to a lesser extent) J.T. Tuimoloau.
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This past season, Kristofic opened fall camp with the first team at right guard but eventually lost the competition to Rocco Spindler. Throughout 2023, he backed up multiple spots on the interior offensive line but fell behind Billy Schrauth at guard and Ashton Craig at center as well.
From 2021-23, Kristofic participated in every possible game for the Irish on either offense or special teams.
In all likelihood, Kristofic did not have a path to a starting role in 2024. He’ll look to fulfill Notre Dame’s “Fffor 40” promise, where a football career in South Bend and an all-important Notre Dame degree can help set a player up for life.
Without Kristofic, Notre Dame’s interior offensive line depth chart is projected to consist of two seniors (Spindler and season-long starting left guard Pat Coogan), two juniors (Schrauth and Craig), three sophomores (Sam Pendleton, Chris Terek and Joe Otting) and two freshmen (Anthonie Knapp and Peter Jones).
