Notre Dame RG Rocco Spindler: 'I feel 100 percent'
Rocco Spindler had dreams of playing in a College Football Playoff game when he committed to Notre Dame.
In fact, the goal was to play next to his good buddy, Blake Fisher, but that dream won’t happen. Spindler will play in his second playoff game in Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl, but Fisher won’t be next to him as he’s three straight starts for the Houston Texans.
Notre Dame starting center Pat Coogan was also part of the class and will start next to Spindler against Georgia, and he was heavily involved in those recruiting dreams of making the playoffs.
“I think the first time Pat and I talked, we were playing video games after he committed,” stated Spindler. “I felt he was going to be center and I was going to be a guard. That was our mindset. We still had BFish and Joe Alt too.”
Spindler’s status seemed up in the air for the Georgia game after he suffered an ankle injury against Indiana in last week’s first-round game.
It appeared Spindler tweaked his ankle the play before Jayden Thomas’ touchdown in the second quarter as the senior guard appeared with a heavily taped ankle the next series.
“I think around that time it happened,” said Spindler. “I think it was before the touchdown, but I don’t remember specifically.”
When the Sugar Bowl kicks off, Spindler expects to be in his usual starting spot at right guard.
“I feel good,” Spindler explained. “I feel 100 percent. I’m ready to go. Shoutout to Rob Hunt and Mike Bean for getting me right.”
The last week hasn’t been easy as Spindler has had to do rehab while also preparing for Georgia, but he’s taken it in stride and believes he’ll be ready for the Bulldogs.
“It’s just been my mindset and taking care of what I need to do for recovery and eliminate distractions,” stated Spindler. “I’m really honing in our game plan and how we’re going to have success against Georgia.”
Notre Dame needs Spindler’s presence on the inside as Georgia will rotate several large defensive linemen on the interior. Physicality will be the name of the game and it’s what Spindler’s known for.
“When we talk about their team, it's depth, like their backups, their starters, their offensive line, their receiving corps, their defensive line, they're big,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.”That's what it starts with in the SEC. The line of scrimmages have to have size and girth because you have to take on these teams week in and week out that have great size.
“Notre Dame is built that way. They're built that way on paper. But then what you see on the tape speaks louder than the paper does. You see how they play. You see the toughness they play with. The linebackers are downhill, thumping. The backs are elite. They're built like an SEC team. And I say that as a huge compliment because I think those rosters are some of the most talented in the country. And Notre Dame is built that way, probably more on the side of physicality.”
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