73 days until Notre Dame football: Can Andrew Kristofic fill the right guard hole?
BlueandGold.com will release a countdown article highlighting a significant Fighting Irish football statistic every day until the 2023 Notre Dame season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 26. Today, there are 73 days until the Fighting Irish and Midshipmen kick off at Aviva Stadium.
Andrew Kristofic, No. 73 on Notre Dame, started only one game last season in place of an injured Jarrett Patterson. The graduate guard is set for a much bigger role in 2023.
With Patterson and Josh Lugg moving onto the NFL, Kristofic is projected to start at one of the two guard spots for the Irish. He took reps at both left and right guard during spring camp, and while most expect him to get the first look on the right side, most of his college experience has come on the left.
Kristofic didn’t grade too well during the Ohio State start, according to PFF, but he held his own against a ridiculously good defensive front. He only gave up one pressure in 23 opportunities, often against superstars Michael Hall Jr. and (less often) J.T. Tuimolao.
Hall beat him off the line of scrimmage a couple times, but he’s one of the best defensive tackles in the nation for a reason. Hall’s sack in that game, the one that forced fourth-and-21 and all but sealed a Notre Dame loss late in the fourth quarter, was not on Kristofic.
When Kristofic struggled, it was often when he had to block at the second level. Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, also one of the best at his position in the country, outmaneuvered him to make some tackles.
Kristofic subbed into small parts of three more games in 2022, but he was a starter for half the season in 2021. PFF liked him much more that season, giving him grades of 83 or more three times in his seven starts. He allowed ten pressures that season in 314 pass-blocking snaps, a rate of 98.2 percent.
That rate would have ranked near the middle of the pack of qualifying guards in 2022.
Assuming Krisofic starts Week 1 at right guard, he’ll have help on either side. Zeke Correll has two years of experience starting at center, and some have floated Blake Fisher near the back end of first-round mock drafts in recent weeks.
In not bringing in a transfer guard to replace Lugg and Patterson, Irish coach Marcus Freeman is counting on Kristofic in 2023. He might be one of Notre Dame’s key players this season — if he and projected starting left guard Billy Schrauth play well, the Irish will remain one of the best offensive lines in the country.
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