Film Don't Lie | Michael Carmody
Remember when everyone was worried about offensive line recruiting in the 2020 cycle? Me neither.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself after offensive tackle Michael Carmody committed to Notre Dame today. He joins Tosh Baker to give the Irish a pair of high ceiling prospects to protect the edges.
And just that quickly, a need in the class turns into a strength.
Carmody does not have much experience playing offensive line, which is more exciting than concerning because of the potential he has shown in just one full season up front. He’s likely going to need some time to develop his technique once he gets to Notre Dame, but the arrow is pointing way up for him and Notre Dame’s future offensive line because of his addition to this class.
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 285
Projected Position: Offensive tackle
ISD Grade: 90 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 92.0 (4-star)
What he does best:
As mentioned above, Carmody only has one year under his belt playing offensive line. He played tight end as a sophomore and had been more of a basketball player previously. You can see he’s an athlete and not just a road grader with the way he moves on the basketball court and on the football field.
Look at him get all the way down the field to block from his right tackle spot to pick up the safety on this long run.
Or see the way he is able to react to knock off the outside rusher. Carmody has stepped inside to protect that gap because of the sprint out going the opposite way. To go back out and get to that rusher is not routine by any means. This is not easy and is something we have seen from some of the great athletes who have played left tackle recently for Notre Dame.
For someone making the transition to playing football from basketball, his mentality as a run blocker makes it look like he has been planting people on their butt for a decade. He is a finisher and works hard to sustain his block.
He shows good initial pop at the point of attack and is the type of player an offense would want to run behind in short yardage.
Even when he is reach blocking the edge, he is looking to finish like on this particular play. That takes a special kind of attitude to want to do that and it’s not just about being bigger and a better athlete. Plenty of big athletes could do this type of thing, but are satisfied with just making sure their guy doesn’t make the tackle.
What he needs to improve:
Hand placement and keeping his block within the frame of the defender is an issue right now. I love the aggression he plays with, but he could be called for holding often with how often his hands wrap around the block rather than fit inside.
He is raw in pass protection with his technique as a whole. There is no question he has the traits to be outstanding, but Notre Dame fans saw what someone who is raw in pass pro looks like at the college level if they watched Andrew Kristofic in the spring game.
Carmody is very similar to Kristofic in athletic ability and similar when it comes to the amount of work he’ll need to put in as a pass blocker. I’m going to be very interested to see how Carmody progresses as a senior in this area because this is where he needs the most work.
What’s his ceiling?
His ceiling is extremely high because he checks all of the boxes physically as a prototype offensive tackle. He has the frame of a future NFL tackle and the feet to go with it.
Much like Baker, Carmody’s experience as a basketball player is something that should help translate in positive ways to playing tackle. He might not be refined now because he hasn’t been playing O-line since he was 11 like some of these players, but the athletic side of things from basketball will likely prove to be much more beneficial.
He’ll need some time to build his technique once he gets to Notre Dame in addition to the regular strength and conditioning work that he’ll put in. It may take a couple of years before he starts scratching the surface of the player he can be, which is part of the reason why I have gave him a grade of 90, which is lower than some other services currently have him ranked.
I bumped that up after evaluating him again and his desire to finish in the run game is a big reason why I believe he has a good shot at approaching his ceiling.
He has the potential to be a starter at right or left tackle (he’s switching to the left side this season) and play in the NFL. I wouldn’t expect Carmody’s impact to be instant, but it could be as big as anyone in Notre Dame’s recruiting class before his college football career is complete.
BREAKING | Notre Dame Adds 2020 OL Michael Carmody