Notre Dame guard Jarrett Patterson suffers foot sprain, questionable for opener
Jarrett Patterson’s transition from center guard hit a speed bump 10 days into Notre Dame preseason camp. One that might send him to the sidelines for the opener.
Patterson has a foot sprain and is questionable for the Sept. 3 opener at Ohio State, head coach Marcus Freeman said Thursday. The injury occurred during Monday’s practice. It knocks Notre Dame’s most experienced lineman out of commission.
““Right now, we’re being cautious on his return,” Freeman said. “We have to rest it. We’ll probably do a 10-day period of resting. It will be go as he can tolerate the pain.”
Notre Dame shifted Patterson to left guard this summer after three seasons as its primary center. He started 34 games at center from 2019-21 and put off the NFL Draft to return for a graduate season this year. The expectation when he returned was he would remain at center, where he had established himself as one of the nation’s best. He has not allowed a sack in 1,306 career pass-protection snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
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A torn pectoral muscle suffered in winter workouts, though, knocked him out for spring practice. Senior Zeke Correll – twice a Patterson fill-in starter in 2020 – moved up to the first-team center spot in his absence. Correll didn’t just keep the seat warm. He made a convincing case that he is one of Notre Dame’s best five offensive linemen.
Convincing enough to make Notre Dame move its best center to guard.
“We feel like right now, him playing guard gives our offensive line the best chance to have success,” Freeman said after the first preseason practice. “You have to look at that unit as all five, not individual pieces. J-Patt being at guard gives those five guys up front the best chance to be successful.”
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Correll’s own position switch from center to guard last fall didn’t go as planned and established that center was his best spot. Patterson knew what Correll’s reboot and steady play this spring likely meant for him. He embraced it and understood the big picture.
“Watching Zeke, he did a really good job during spring ball,” Patterson said this month. “I kind of had a feeling (the Notre Dame coaches) would (ask me to change positions). I met with all the coaches, they brought up the idea, and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. I want the five best guys out there to help us win football games.’ If me moving means we have the best five out there, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Notre Dame might not have that best lineup at its disposal when it opens the year. Freeman said senior Andrew Kristofic, a seven-game starter last season, and sophomore Rocco Spindler will get the first looks as Patterson’s replacement. But a quick recovery from Patterson and return for the opener would not stun him.
“I know J-Patt, I know his mentality,” Freeman said. “As a head coach, I expect he may be out there because I know the competitor he is. That’s where we’re at right now, listening to the doctors and resting it for seven to 10 days.”
