Marcus Freeman expected to hire key ACC assistant as Notre Dame OL coach, per report
Marcus Freeman has honed in on a key ACC assistant for the vacant offensive line coach position at Notre Dame.
According to Tom Loy with 247 Sports, the Irish are expected to hire Joe Rudolph to fill the position. Rudolph spent the 2022 season as the run game coordinator and OL coach for Virginia Tech on Brent Pry’s first staff for the Hokies.
Loy cited a source indicating Rudolph would be “an elite hire” for Freeman heading into 2023.
BREAKING: Sources have informed #IrishIllustrated and #247Sports that barring a last second change, #NotreDame is expected to name Virginia Tech’s Joe Rudolph as its next Offensive Line coach.
“This is an elite hire” per a source.
Story: https://t.co/Y3Pz7U5IZ5@247Sports pic.twitter.com/GMiVNpuMn6
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) February 27, 2023
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Rudolph spent 2015-21 as the OL coach for Wisconsin. He also has stops at Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Nebraska and at Ohio State as a graduate assistant during Freeman’s playing career with the Buckeyes.
What it means for Notre Dame
During the 2022 season, the Irish went 9-4 but finished 42nd nationally with 31.8 points per game and averaged just under 400 yards of offense. With Tommy Rees leaving for Alabama and the Irish promoting Gerad Parker, Rudolph has a chance to improve the offensive line as Parker installs his offense for 2023.
Considering the distinguished work of Rudolph throughout the years — particularly at Wisconsin — there’s no point in denying he should produce solid results for Notre Dame.