Report: Notre Dame starter to undergo surgery next week
Notre Dame received some tough injury news on Saturday. According to Matt Fortuna of The Athletic, Fighting Irish starting center Jarrett Patterson will be going under the knife in the near future.
“Source: Notre Dame fifth-year center Jarrett Patterson will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn pectoral he suffered during offseason workouts,” tweeted Fortuna. “The Irish hope to have the three-year starter back for the start of the 2022 season. @timprister first with the injury news.”
Moreover, Fortuna mentions that Patterson is repairing a torn pectoral that was injured during offseason workouts. In recent seasons, Patterson has become a staple along the Notre Dame offensive line. If he’s lost for an extended period of time, his absence will be felt.
Patterson began starting for the Irish at center in 2019. He earned several Rimington Trophy nominations, as well as a spot on Phil Steele’s All-Independent first-team.
Coming out of Mission Viejo High School, Patterson was a four-star prospect. He chose Notre Dame over UCLA and Michigan, among others.
Instead of opting for the 2022 NFL Draft, Jarrett Patterson chose to give it one more go with Notre Dame. Hopefully, the Fighting Irish starting center won’t have injury troubles throughout his final season with the program.
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Moreover, Jarrett Patterson is joining Marcus Freeman in his first season as the Notre Dame head coach. Prior to Freeman beginning his tenure, the coach made a splash hire to his staff. Notre Dame announced Al Golden is taking over as defensive coordinator as the final hire to Freeman’s coaching staff. He makes the move after two years in Cincinnati as the Bengals’ linebackers coach.
“Al’s defensive background and knowledge of this profession makes him a valuable asset to our program,” Freeman said in a statement. “He is known for getting the absolute best out of his players both on and off the field. Additionally, he will be a great resource for me and others on our staff with his previous experience as a head coach. I am thrilled that he has joined our staff at Notre Dame.”
Terms of Golden’s deal weren’t disclosed, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Chris Low reported he’s signing a three-year deal.
During his coaching career, Golden worked as a head coach at Temple from 2006-10 and Miami from 2011-15 before taking the leap to the NFL. He also spent time as Virginia’s defensive coordinator from 2001-05 and is known as a talented recruiter. He had three straight top-20 recruiting classes while he was at Miami, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.
Freeman’s staff is now complete as he gets ready for his first season as a head coach. Notre Dame brought in a few more impressive names this offseason, including running backs coach Deland McCullough and reunited with offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.
The Fighting Irish are coming off an 11-2 season in 2021, including a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.