From foe to friend: Why Zeke Correll landed at NC State after five years at Notre Dame

Zeke Correll was asked Thursday about playing football at Notre Dame, about the Golden Dome and “Touchdown Jesus” and the atmosphere at storied Notre Dame Stadium on game day.

Someone then mentioned N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium. That will be Correll’s home stadium now after the center’s transfer to NCSU.

What about “The Carter” this season?

“Oh, I’ve played there before,” he said, smiling. “We were here last year.”

“We” being the Fighting Irish. He used that term only once and in the past tense.

Notre Dame rolled to a 45-24 victory over the Pack in the early September game at Carter-Finley as Irish quarterback Sam Hartman threw for four touchdowns.

Correll said he has not been reminded or razzed too much about that game by his new Wolfpack teammates. Nor does he bring it up.

It’s all about the here and now for Correll and the Pack. After transferring to N.C. State in January, the 6-foot-3, 307-pound graduate student missed spring practice because of a pectoral injury suffered lifting weights, saying, “I’ve never had a major injury before and it was kind of out of nowhere.”

He used the off time to fully absorb the Wolfpack offense and watch video, but that can only go so far.

“It helped me become a better student of the game, but I’ve been itching to put the pads on, put my helmet on and get back on the field,” he said Thursday. “I’m 100 percent. I’m ready to roll. I’m itching to play.”

Correll has yet to play a down for the Pack but has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Outland Trophy, given to college football’s best interior lineman. That’s good national attention.

At N.C. State, Correll was chosen the “Alpha Wolf” for the offense in the offseason by strength and conditioning coach Dantonio Burnette. That’s a good start with his new team.

“It’s a leadership award,” Correll said. “I’m a center, so obviously I have to communicate well and have a loud voice. You can’t be meager and be a good center.

“For me, it was this summer just becoming a better leader. Just pushing the standard.”

The Pack has had a run of outstanding centers under head coach Dave Doeren. Garrett Bradbury won the Rimington Trophy in 2018 as the nation’s best center and was a first-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings. He was followed by rock-steady Grant Gibson and then, last season, Dylan McMahon.

McMahon hosted Correll on his official visit during the transfer period, with Correll saying, “What he was saying was really matching what I wanted for myself, and made it easier for me.”

Correll, a four-star prep recruit out of Cincinnati, picked the Irish and was in the Notre Dame program for five years, playing in 40 games. That’s a lot of football and Correll said it was hard to leave South Bend and his teammates.

Initially, some believed Correll might transfer to Kentucky. His grandfather, father and a brother, Gabe, all played for the Wildcats. But it was on to N.C. State.

“At the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me,” he said. “I was looking for a new opportunity for leadership, to be able to be counted on as a leader.

“And then also I wanted to look for a program that kind of matched my identity... hard, tough, together. That’s kind of how I view myself and (N.C. State) is just a great match for me.”

These days, NIL packages factor into a lot of decisions. Correll was involved with NIL opportunities at Notre Dame — the Irish offensive line had an endorsement deal — and he’ll be involved at N.C. State through the 1PACK NIL collective.

Correll joins a veteran offensive line group with the Pack. Back are such staples as Anthony Belton and Timothy McKay, and the Pack added transfer running back Jordan Waters from Duke to run behind it.

“We’ve have a lot of weapons,” Correll said. “We have a stacked offense.”

And Grayson McCall to run it. It’s Robert Anae’s offense to coach as offensive coordinator but McCall is the guy who will run it.

“It’s about executing at a high level,” Correll said. “It’s different with offense and defense. With defense, only one guy has to make a good play. Offense, all 11 have to do their job.

“To have an elite offense, you have to have all 11 guys doing their job at a high level. I think once all 11 guys are doing that consistently, we’re going to be a force to reckon with.”