Offensive linemen John Dirksen ends Notre Dame football career
John Dirksen was visible on a weekly basis in Notre Dame’s game plan if you looked closely.
The senior guard manned one-third of Notre Dame’s punt shield the last two years as the last line of defense in protecting Jay Bramblett. Since 2019, he has been part of the field goal and extra point units.
Neither is the most gratifying role, but Dirksen embraced both.
He’s now moving on to his next venture.
Dirksen is not listed on Notre Dame’s updated spring roster and has decided to end his Notre Dame career, a team spokesperson confirmed. He had two seasons of eligibility remaining and has earned his undergraduate degree.
The 6-5, 306-pound Dirksen played in 30 games from 2019-21 after taking a redshirt as a freshman. He totaled 106 snaps on offense in that span while playing 261 on special teams, per Pro Football Focus.
The 2021 offseason presented Dirksen with his best chance to claim a starting job. Notre Dame had returning starters at guard in 2019 and 2020, but lost 80 percent of its primary lineup from 2020, including both guards. Dirksen opened spring practice as a first-teamer.
A couple weeks in, though, freshman Rocco Spindler swindled that spot. Junior Andrew Kristofic earned first-team looks as well. The June addition of Marshall grad transfer Cain Madden further muddied Dirksen’s chances. The latter two were Notre Dame’s starting guards for the last six games. Zeke Correll also started six games at guard. Kristofic returns, while Spindler figures to be back in the mix after a redshirt year.
Dirksen was a three-star recruit in Notre Dame’s 2018 class out of Maria Stein (Ohio) Marion Local. He chose the Irish over offers from Michigan State, Northwestern, Iowa State, Kentucky and Boston College. Newly hired Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand recruited Dirksen during his first stint in the job.
Notre Dame has 16 scholarship offensive linemen for 2022 following Dirksen’s departure. The Irish are returning eight players who started games on the offensive line in 2021. With center Jarrett Patterson returning for a fifth year and tackle Josh Lugg’s coming back for a sixth, four of the five primary starters on the 2021 unit are back. Madden (out of eligibility) is the lone non-returnee of those five.
The Irish have signed five offensive linemen in each of their last two recruiting classes. Their 2022 haul consisted of four top-300 prospects in Joey Tanona, Ty Chan, Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner, plus three-star Ashton Craig.
The 2021 group put its fingerprints on Notre Dame’s offense right away. Blake Fisher, the class’ highest-ranked prospect, won the starting left tackle job in training camp, but suffered a meniscus injury in the opener that knocked him out for the regular season. He returned to start the Fiesta Bowl. Joe Alt was the third option to replace Fisher, but proved to be the best one. He started the last nine games of the year and was named a Freshman All-American by several outlets.
