Best of the best: The highest-ranked Notre Dame OL and TE classes of the last 10 years

Notre Dame’s 2022 recruiting class is its highest-ranked group as a whole since 2013, with particularly special recruits at linebacker and on the offensive line. But when broken down to just their position groups, how do the incoming freshmen rank with other classes since 2013?

This is the third piece in a series examining Notre Dame recruiting classes over the last 10 years by position group. The first story covered safeties and cornerbacks, while the second covered linebackers and defensive linemen. Now it’s time to examine the other side of the ball. More specifically, we turn toward the two position groups often touted as Notre Dame’s best: offensive line and tight end.

The rankings and positions cited below are based on On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. 

Note: The following rankings are done based on how the player was listed by On3 at the time he signed. Notre Dame may have used him in another position once he arrived on campus.

Offensive line – 2016

If you’re interested in playing offensive line for your profession after college, Notre Dame is surely a destination you consider. There were 11 former Irish offensive linemen in the NFL in 2021, and four of them were starters.

Notre Dame’s offensive line classes are consistently top-notch, as is evidenced by the fact that nine of the last 10 classes have earned a collective recruiting ranking in excess of 91 according to On3 Consensus. However, there is one class that sits above the rest when it comes to their high school production. In 2016, Tommy Kraemer, Liam Eichenberg and Parker Boudreaux had individual rankings that averaged out to 93.067. Kraemer led the group (and the entire 2016 class) with a ranking of 95.700. He is the highest-rated offensive lineman Notre Dame has signed in the last 10 years.

Kraemer was named All-ACC first team in 2020 and earned AP All-America third team honors. He was part of the 2017 offensive line which won the Joe Moore Award, the honor given to the nation’s top offensive line and named after former Notre Dame and Pittsburgh offensive line coach Joe Moore.

Eichenberg had an immensely successful career for the Irish, also earning All-ACC first-team honors in 2020 and multiple national first-team awards, including from The Athletic and CBS Sports. He was a member of the AP All-America second team. Eichenberg was the starting left tackle for the Miami Dolphins in 2021.

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Boudreaux, an Orlando, Fla. native, transferred to UCF after redshirting his freshman year. He started 13 games for the Knights in 2019 but did not play in 2020. He ultimately left the sport and is now a professional WWE wrestler.

In addition to Kraemer, an offensive lineman has been the highest-rated player in their recruiting class twice since 2013: 2021’s Blake Fisher and 2014’s Quenton Nelson.

How does the 2022 group compare? They are No. 6 of 10 with an average recruiting ranking of 91.675. That’s not to say they aren’t immensely talented. Offensive tackle Aamil Wagner is a five-star recruit in the eyes of On3. It just goes to show how well Notre Dame recruits the position.

Tight end – 2015, 2020

Because classes typically do not have more than two tight ends, these numbers are skewed more so than the larger position groups. But there are still a few notable classes in the mix, many of them which include players you see on Sundays.

Alize Mack was the only tight end in the 2015 class, and he had a recruiting rating of 94.233. Technically, that’s the highest, as was the case with both safeties (Max Redfield) and defensive linemen (Isaac Rochell).

The highest-rated class with multiple tight ends is still on campus. Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman arrived at Notre Dame in 2020 with an average recruiting ranking of 93.217. Of course, Mayer is one of the nation’s top tight ends, led the team in catches in 2021, and will hear his name called early in the 2023 NFL Draft. Bauman missed a chunk of 2021 with a leg injury suffered in the opening game against Florida State, and he recorded just one catch last season against Georgia Tech on Nov. 20. With George Kakacs electing to finish his college football career elsewhere, there is room for Bauman to step up and make an impact in 2022.

The 2017 class of Brock Wright, Cole Kmet and Jonathan MacCollister earned high praise from recruiting sites as well. Both Wright and Kmet were drafted and remain active on NFL rosters. MacCollister went to the same high school as Boudreaux and ended his college career playing for the Knights as well, playing both defensive end and tight end while in college.

Wright and Mayer were both the top-ranked recruits in their respective classes.

Further proof that Notre Dame has been aptly dubbed “Tight End U” by many: The Irish have a tight end taken in each NFL Draft since 2018. They are the only team to have accomplished the feat, with Georgia and Stanford trailing behind at three and eight additional schools with two.

The future is bright at the position. Tight ends Eli Raridon and Holden Staes are high on the list over the last 10 years. They come in just behind Mack in 2015 and the Mayer and Bauman duo from 2020 at 91.963.