What's the plan at left tackle?

by Rob (Rakes of Mallow), Chicago, Sunday, March 15, 2009, 19:23 (6344 days ago)

Paul Duncan? Nice guy, but I hope we have another option.

Trevor Robinson? I think Mike Frank mentioned him as a possibility, but I don't think he's ever been projected as anything other than a guard. If ND's staff is serious about getting the best 5 players on the field, he might be the guy.

Matt Romine? I think he was the backup at LT this year (came in for a few plays when Turkovich had to come out). Highly recruited guy who has enough experience in the system to start. I'm definitely pulling for him.

I think a lot of fans get worked up about left tackle, as if every top program has a young Orlando Pace/Jonathan Ogden type player there. Here were the top 5 team's LT's last year and their recruiting rank:

Florida: Phil Trautwein - 3 stars on Rivals, #28 at his position
Utah: Zane Beadles - 2 stars on Rivals, not ranked
USC: Charles Brown - 3 stars on Rivals, #23 at his position
Texas: Adam Ulatoski - 3 stars on Rivals, #24 at his position
Oklahoma: Trent Williams - 3 stars on Rivals, #28 at his position (guard)

As an aside, I always hoped that Will Yeatman would turn into an offensive lineman. I remember seeing him on campus and just being astounded at how big he was and thinking that he definitely had the frame to put on some serious muscle/weight. Oh well...