Aaron Taylor talks Notre Dame’s OL amid up-and-down fall camp, and drops huge Indiana prediction
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Aaron Taylor talks Notre Dame’s OL amid up-and-down fall camp, and drops huge Indiana prediction originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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In promotion of Johnsonville Sausage’s partnership with the Joe Moore Award, I got the chance to speak with legendary Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Taylor, the founder of the only college football award given to a position group instead of just one player. The award was named after Taylor’s Fighting Irish OL coach, Joe Moore, and is awarded to the best offensive line in the country every season since 2015.
The “no weak links” aspect of the Johnsonville Sausage partnership is an ode to Moore’s legacy as someone who produced 52 NFL players in 18 seasons, Taylor told me.
“Joe Moore never had a senior starter at Notre Dame that didn't at least have a cup of coffee in the NFL. He’s the best there ever was,” Taylor said of his former position coach. “As we told stories and discussed whether we should do another position award or O-line coach of the year award, what really emerged was this notion of camaraderie.
“Whether it was a walk-on or an All-American alike, it didn't matter. There was an equity in that room and all that was required. If you sacrifice yourself and your ego for the greater good, and give everything you have, the best moments happen when people can come together.”
The CBS Sports analyst and Super Bowl XXXI champion with the Green Bay Packers discussed several topics near and dear, including Notre Dame’s current offensive line issues and how Johnsonville Sausage was part of his football journey back in South Bend, and even to this day.
Taylor also shared a massive prediction for the defending champion Indiana Hoosiers' front seven in his answer on the Fighting Irish’s trench battles in fall camp.
READ MORE: Notre Dame football betting preview for the 2026 season
On Notre Dame’s current offensive line issues in fall camp…
“This is now three years running where there's been significant injuries on Notre Dame's offensive line. The good news is that the room is finally built like it needs to be, to withstand some of these natural and unfortunate occurrences in our sport. Joe Rudolph, their offensive line coach, has done a fantastic job. They killed it in recruiting, and they develop guys when they get to campus…
“So a guy like Will Black is going to be a name and possibly a first-round offensive lineman in seasons to come. Then you have Charles Jagusah. Who knows whether or not he's ever going to be on the field and come back. But when he went down, that really hurt them. You see how well he comes in and plays, and then boom, he's out again. So in certain respects, it feels like Notre Dame can't win for losing in terms of the injury front at that position. Oftentimes it looks worse than it is when you're playing against an elite front seven…
“I believe a little bit of that has taken place in South Bend, and it certainly has taken place in Bloomington when I was there yesterday. That front seven there is going to be, anecdotally, better than the unit they had last year. They had 46 sacks. And I know Indiana's offensive line. They were finalists last year. They earned it. I believe they'll have a chance by year's end to be better than they were a year ago, and that defense was handing it to them. So, as a guy that blocked against Bryant Young and Chris Zorich and a pretty ferocious front seven when I was at Notre Dame, I can assure you, it doesn't always look pretty in practice. But when you get to Saturday, it looks a lot easier than it did during the week, and I believe that that'll be the case for the Irish this year up front.”
On his favorite Johnsonville Sausage meal…
“I'm an Italian sausage and beer brat guy, and interestingly, man, I've been on a ketogenic-based diet for the last year and a half and then lost over 60 pounds. A lot of it involved, ironically, Johnsonville Sausage. So there's a bunch of elements to this partnership that are just natural and organic and make me smile, dating all the way back to Notre Dame in the early 90s, where our preferred activity of choice after a late night of libations was to buy some sausage and barbecue…
“That was kind of the last hurrah every Saturday night, late night after we went out and would celebrate a win. Barbecuing, coming together, the shared experience, all of that has been such a natural part of my own football story and journey. I’m like a fat kid in a sausage store with this partnership because it's so aligned and authentic.”
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