SOUTH BEND —A dozen days away from e soccer’s season opener towards Wisconsin, Joe Rudolph’s offensive line remains to be holding auditions for 40% of the beginning spots.
Along with the Joe Otting-Ashton Craig battle at heart, the place staff docs have but to totally clear Craig in his return from his second torn ACL in as many seasons, there’s a turnstile of kinds spinning atd.
Or perhaps it was simply the flip of Types Prescod, thought of the highest backup at both deal with spot, to get an extended have a look at proper guard.
“Hear, the competitors at proper guard is open,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock stated. “And we’ve acquired a variety of guys we're having a look at in there. Types is a type of guys.”
Sullivan Absher entered fall camp because the main candidate at proper guard, however a damaged foot derailed second-year man Matty Augustine’s push to say the beginning job.
Craig has taken some snaps at proper guard, the place he practiced extensively in 2023 earlier than assuming the beginning heart position in early November at Clemson.
Within the Aug. 21 jersey scrimmage at Notre Dame Stadium, Prescod acquired his shot and confirmed sufficient that he was doing drill work Tuesday as a guard in between Craig and beginning proper deal with Guerby Lambert, final yr’s starter at proper guard.
“We put (Prescod) in there within the scrimmage and noticed some actually pure issues occur from him in there,” Denbrock stated. “We're going to maintain attempting to determine what the most effective mixture is up entrance. However Types is unquestionably within the combine to turn out to be one of many 5 that goes on the market.”
Stressed and prepared: l
A 6-foot-6, 304-pound product of Hamilton Southeastern Excessive College in Fishers, Ind., Prescod saved drawing the coaches’ consideration along with his productiveness as a backup to Lambert and second-year deal with Will Black.
“He's come a great distance along with his maturity about his method to each follow and the consistency that he's been taking part in with,” Denbrock stated of Prescod. “He's been excellent at deal with and has earned a possibility to showcase whether or not he might be one of many first 5 guys in there.”
Prescod didn’t see the sector in 2024 after early-season surgical procedure on his proper shoulder. Final fall he was restricted to 88 offensive snaps throughout seven video games in a mop-up position.
His single-game excessive was 20 snaps within the dwelling shootout towards Purdue, however his season grades have been poor, falling between 32 (go blocking) and 49 (run blocking), per Professional Soccer Focus.
With a slew of proficient freshmen behind him, Prescod is getting his long-awaited probability to shine.
“He's most likely, at this level, a transparent backup at both one of many deal with positions,” Denbrock stated. “However there's alternative at different locations, and we've acquired to present him a possibility to see whether or not he can deal with the workload or whether or not we've acquired to go in one other path. He's earned that by his play.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame soccer for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Comply with him on social media @MikeBerardino.
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