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.

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.