This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football: #57 Trevor Ruhland

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about all of them. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2018 season.

#57 Trevor Ruhland

Trevor Ruhland came to Notre Dame not as one of those big-time, guaranteed offensive line stud prospects like Quenton Nelson, but rather as a tough interior lineman who works hard and has a nasty attitude that former OL coach Harry Hiestand loved to find on the recruiting trail.

Ruhland was one of those guys who was always destined to be fantastic depth in the middle of the line, and who might develop into a major contributor later in his career. Now, as a senior, Ruhland is still a reserve lineman, but not necessarily because he’s not a capable player. Absolute hosses like Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars and Tommy Kraemer are simply ahead of guys like him at center and guard on the depth chart, and with the talent they have it’s hard to argue with it.

But if injuries become an issue in 2018, Ruhland is an experienced veteran who should be able to fill in pretty capably - which is definitely a nice feeling for new OL coach Jeff Quinn after the departure of All-Americans Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey.

3 Things To Know About Trevor Ruhland

1. He’s the only remaining offensive lineman from his recruiting class. The 2015 class was short on offensive linemen in general with just 3, and then with the transfer of Tristen Hoge and Jerry Tillery immediately being moved to defensive tackle upon arrival, Ruhland is the lone offensive lineman left from that class.
2. He still has two years of eligibility, including this upcoming 2018 season. This could be huge in terms of the center position especially, what with Sam Mustipher about to play his final year in an Irish uniform. And even if someone else would slide into the starting center spot, Ruhland’s versatility and veteran presence will likely earn him a 5th-year invitation to shore up the offensive front.
3. His coaches have mentioned on numerous occasions how smart he is, and he’s majoring in Management Consulting in the Mendoza College of Business at ND. Some consulting company is destined to get a big, imposing, creative presence when he’s all done at in South Bend — you can take that to the bank. Oh, and he’s got a glorious beard to go along with all that brainpower...

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Country, Condiment, or Canon

Identifying the player as either a country, condiment, or member of the Star Wars Canon.

Aioli.

Mayonnaise will always be a more common choice as the starting spread on just about any sandwich, but aioli is a great backup that’s versatile in terms of what it tastes good on and can absolutely get the job done in most situations where you don’t have mayo. Trevor Ruhland is absolutely the aioli of the offensive line.

2018 Forecast

2018 will likely be about the same for Ruhland, as he will be a key reserve at a couple different positions but will not be a major contributor unless there are key injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart.

With that said, he will certainly be the stopgap measure for the coaching staff if Mustipher goes down, and could also see time at the guard spots - he will certainly be a veteran leader who may need to be called upon to solidify the interior and protect Brandon Wimbush.