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.

#56 John Dirksen

John Dirksen is an offensive lineman who will enter his freshman year playing football for Notre Dame in 2018. He stands at 6’5 and weighs 307 pounds. Dirksen is an Ohio boy, growing up in Maria Stein, Ohio where he played high school football at Marion Local. This season will more than likely be a redshirt year for Dirksen. He will need time to get into shape, add strength and adapt to the speed of the college game.

Three Things To Know About John Dirksen:

A leg injury derailed his junior year of high school. This could be one of the reasons the top in state school, Ohio State, never ended up offering John Dirksen a scholarship. He was a consensus 3 star recruit. Notre Dame and Harry Hiestand, the former offensive line coach, loved Dirksen’s measurables enough to offer him a scholarship. Raw size and strength. That is what makes John Dirksen such an intriguing prospect. It will be interesting to see how the ND coaches can mold him over then next 4-5 years.

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Country, Condiment, or Canon

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

China.

Did you know China produces a large percentage of the world’s raw materials? They makeup for almost 50% of the iron and lead on Earth. Raw is the name of the game for John Dirksen. He needs a lot of work. Speed, agility and footwork will need to improve to see the field. But what makes John Dirksen exciting is his raw size and strength.

2018 Outlook

Bleak. With the new redshirt rule, Dirksen can see the field in 4 games and still maintain a year of eligibility. This is the best case scenario for playing time in 2018 for Dirksen. Check back in for the 2020 season to see where he stands.