Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/699309
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 69 With Stanley and Martin on their way to picking up NFL paychecks, McGlinchey and Nelson are the two new mainstays up front, although McGlinchey maintains that Hiestand is the common thread of any suc- cess achieved. "Those two will be the first to tell you it's a lot because of Coach Hiestand," Mc- Glinchey said of Stanley and Martin. "He's the best coach in the country, he's getting us prepared to play, he's recruiting the right guys and he's making our job easier because he's teaching us the right way to do things, and it's paying dividends for us. "It's a dream of mine to be able to do something as they're doing. I hope to God I can achieve that goal, but as of right now I'm not focused on that at all. I'm just ready for [the next] practice." That's how great traditions are main- tained. ✦ If one had to name the No. 1 specific strength on the 2016 Notre Dame team, the answer was clear at the end of spring: the left side of Notre Dame's offensive line with the rangy 6‑7½, 310‑pound senior Mike McGlinchey at tackle and the powerful junior and former five‑star recruit Quenton Nelson at guard. McGlinchey already is being projected as head coach Brian Kelly's third straight first‑ round left tackle prospect, while Nelson might be Notre Dame's top guard since Aaron Taylor lined up there in 1992 before shifting to left tackle a year later en route to winning the Lombardi Award. "Those two players are really good — really, really good," Kelly said. "Mike's been our most efficient blocker and Quenton is in the best physical shape he's been in, moves ex‑ tremely well. … We're very, very fortunate." It has a chance to rank among the finest left sides ever assembled at Notre Dame, which is saying something. Here are the gold standards on the left side since the post‑World War II era — and it's no accident the Fighting Irish were champions or in contention for it that season: 1. George Connor/Bill Fischer (1946‑47) — This is one reason why these two teams are considered the greatest of all time. Connor, a tackle, and Fischer, a guard, are both in the College Football Hall of Fame — and both won the Outland Trophy during their careers, with Connor the first such recipient. 2. Frank Varrichione/Ray Lemek (1953) — Head coach Frank Leahy's final unbeaten team at Notre Dame featured this tandem on the left side. Five‑time Pro Bowl pick and first‑round choice Varrichione was at tackle. Future captain Lemek, who played nine years in the NFL and also made the Pro Bowl, was the guard. 3. Paul Seiler/Tom Regner (1966) — They were two of Notre Dame's top three picks in the 1967 NFL Draft after helping the Irish to a national title. The tackle Seiler was the first at No. 12, while the guard Regner was third at No. 23. In between at No. 15 was nine‑time Pro Bowl defensive line ‑ man Alan Page. 4. Andy Heck/Tim Ryan, or Dean Brown/Tim Grunhard (1988) — This one gets extra credit because Notre Dame's most recent national champions were able to flip both sides for specific situations (the positions were listed quick and strong side, as opposed to left and right). First‑round tackle pick Heck (a former tight end) and fifth‑round selection and guard Ryan (a former linebacker) were often listed on the left side, but quite regularly — like on quarterback Tony Rice's 65‑yard touchdown run in the win at No. 2 USC in 1988 — the left side had 11‑year pro and second‑round guard Grunhard with Brown at tackle. 5. Zack Martin/Chris Watt (2011‑13) — This combination started three consecutive years on the left side, highlighted by advancing to the BCS National Championship Game in 2012. Martin already has been in the Pro Bowl twice in as many years in the NFL, while Watt — who has started eight NFL games despite being slowed by an injury — has moved to center. It can almost be overlooked how effective Stanley and Nelson were on the left side last year. If McGlinchey and Nelson can pick up where that tandem left off in 2015, Notre Dame's lean to the left should remain a prominent strength. — Lou Somogyi A LEAN TO THE LEFT The Irish envision McGlinchey (right) and junior guard Quenton Nelson (left) forming a dominant blocking tandem on the left side. PHOTO BY ANDREW IVINS