Why adjusting to Notre Dame is no layup for freshman O-lineman Joe Otting
When former Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand abruptly retired in February, Irish 2023 class O-line signee Joe Otting could have easily backed out of his national letter of intent … to play basketball.
“My coach told me one D2 (Central Missouri),” said Otting, detailing the interest received from one college program on the hardwood. “I was shocked when he told me that. They never fully offered me, but they talked to my coach.”
Otting spent his senior basketball season at Topeka (Kan.) Hayden Catholic dominating with double-doubles. He has a passion for hooping, so he easily accepted Hayden Catholic High’s academic structure, which prevented him from enrolling at Notre Dame early.
Hiestand retired with five games left in Otting’s senior basketball season. But the future Fighting Irish center never wavered from his football pledge.
“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Otting told reporters on Monday. “I committed to Coach Hiestand. He’s a great coach. Obviously, he had to do what he needed to do for himself and his family. The coaching change to Coach (Joe) Rudolph has been great. He’s a great coach. I’ve learned a lot from him. I enjoy him being here as a coach.
“I’ve always been locked ever since I committed.”
Hayden Catholic’s Otting finished the 2023 recruiting cycle as a four-star recruit and the No. 389 overall player, No. 24 interior offensive lineman and No. 4 prospect in Kansas, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Otting has one key benchmark to clear before playing on a Notre Dame game day
Otting enrolled in June alongside 10 other members of head coach Marcus Freeman’s first recruiting class. Since he is just a freshman, Otting has a long road ahead until he sees the field — and a lot of weight to gain before then, too.
According to the Notre Dame football roster, Otting currently checks in at 6-foot-3 ⅛, 264 pounds. Otting estimated he would like to add another 30-40 pounds before he’s game-ready. And making progress toward that goal has its ups and downs.
“That is my goal, but I know I’m not going to gain that all in like two weeks,” he said. “It’s going to be a long process. …
“I kind of eat whatever,” Otting continued. “That’s a good thing, but not too much. The only adjustment is that you get a lot of food the whole day. It’s hard to keep eating and eating.”
Notre Dame football sports dietitian Alexa Appelman has been a key asset in helping Otting work toward achieving his goal.
“She’s been good,” he said. “Just teaching us the basics and giving us knowledge about how our body works and how we need the energy to go. She’s always there for every meal and after every workout telling us what to do. She’s been great.”
Other Notre Dame pillars help him adjust to college life
Besides his weight gain goals, Otting has had to adjust to the speed of the collegiate game.
While getting physical reps has been the best way to do that, taking mental reps when Zeke Correll and Ashton Craig are on the field is just as important.
“I talk to them when I can,” Otting said. “I also take to Coach Rob (Delaney), who I stand next to. He tells me the plays, and I have to get the call from what I see and point out the Mike and all that.”
Through five preseason practices, Otting has started to get the hang of the rapidity. And that means translating clarity into velocity.
“To me, it means if you know your assignments, you know what you’re doing and then you can do everything at full speed,” Otting said. “You have no hesitation to think back on maybe if I’m doing this wrong. You know you’re doing this, and you go, go, go. No hesitation.”
Otting hasn’t been alone in his college transition, either. Fellow freshman offensive linemen Sullivan Absher, Charles Jagusah and Chris Terek also enrolled last month. Being on the same path as three other players has made adapting to Notre Dame easier.
“It was good for all four of us,” Otting said. “We kind of relate on a lot of things. It’s been good. The speed of the game is a whole lot quicker, and to know that all of us are picking it up as days go by and still learning – it’s been good.”
Freshman early enrollee Sam Pendleton has been a catalyst in guiding Otting and company along. He’s also been key in helping Otting take down his teammates in the card game “Spades,” which has been a welcomed break from football … and worrying about gaining weight as well.
”Me and Sam are the best Spades partners,” he said. “You can ask him. We got that connection. Me and Sam are good at that.”
And soon enough, Pendleton and Otting will dominate opposing defensive linemen, too.
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