Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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78 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Both were named third-team Associated Press All-Americans in 2016, but Hiestand is more impressed with their rejection of the ac- colades while focusing on the bigger picture. "They're committed to being great team- mates and improving — they didn't come back to not get better," Hiestand said. The 6-8, 312-pound McGlinchey's strength appreciably improved this winter in Notre Dame's new program under strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis. Per head coach Brian Kelly, McGlinchey went from benching 16 reps of 225 pounds with his lengthy arms to 24. "When you have arms and legs as long as him, it's getting everything in line, and the strength part has really helped stabilize him as a player." Hiestand said. The coach added that McGlinchey's desire to be everything to everybody might have been at the root of his jumping off sides too frequently. "Mike's big thing was he's always trying to get everything to work, and he kind of forgot about himself sometimes," Hiestand said. "Trying to do too much, trying to make sure that everybody else is squared away — and boom, he pops early. "He's been much better with that this spring, and that won't be an issue down the road." While the change in position last season took McGlinchey a little out of his comfort zone, he has a loathing for alibis. "I don't think the position change had anything to do with it other than just where my head was at or what I was trying to do on those specific plays," he said. "It's some- thing that I'm just going to fix." By midseason last year, McGlinchey had already publicly declared he would return for a fifth season at Notre Dame despite word of a potentially high draft selection. To him, it was following the template of left tackle predecessors Zack Martin (2010-13) and Stanley (2014-15), who also returned for a final season of college despite the lure of the NFL, where they have thrived. "Everybody has areas of improvement, areas that need to develop," McGlinchey explained. "I wasn't in any position to want to go to the NFL. I wanted to be the best that I could be and learn from the best coach in the country. "I'm very comfortable with where I'm at right now. My expectations for the fifth year are to be the best offensive tackle in the country, and that's what I'm working for every single day. "It's a trend here on the line that we want to continue to learn and be the best that we can be and have the success that we know we can have before we make any decisions just because other people are telling us that we're ready to go. "We know how to look in the mirror, look on the film and know what we can improve and how to get to where we want to go." 'Q' Him Up Over the past three years in media set- tings, the hulking 6-5, 329-pound Nelson — simply known as "Q" — was one of Notre Dame's least talkative players. On Guard When it comes to positional value in the NFL, offensive guard ranks near the bottom on the football food chain. At Notre Dame, a player who actually played guard as a senior has not been drafted in the first round since 1967, when Tom Regner was the No. 23 selec- tion overall from the 1966 national champs. No other position for the Fighting Irish has had a longer drought. • Six-time Pro Bowl guard Bob Kuechenberg was selected in the fourth round in 1969 — but he played defensive end as a senior. • Tim Grunhard (1987-89) was a second-round selection in 1990 while help- ing the Irish to a school-record 23-game winning streak his last two seasons, but he would spend his 10-year NFL career at center. • Aaron Taylor, the Lombardi Award winner in 1993, was a first-round selec- tion in 1994 as a guard — but he played left tackle for the 11-1 Irish as a senior. • Zack Martin (2010-13) already is a multiple All-Pro right guard for the Dallas Cowboys — but he started at left tackle all four seasons at Notre Dame. Senior left guard Quenton Nelson has an opportunity to end that Irish drought at the position next spring. "He's ultimately going to carry a higher grade coming out of college than any of the true guards in this class," NFL Draft Countdown's Scott Wright said of the powerful 6-5, 329-pound Nelson. A starter at left guard as a 2015 sophomore, Nelson has maintained a prag- matic, understated tone throughout his career. Prior to the 2016 season when the Irish had to replace three starters along the line — including first-round pick Ronnie Stanley at left tackle and second-round selection Nick Martin at center — he succinctly summed up what the line was facing. "We can be very good, and we can be very bad," Nelson said. "It's all up to us and how hard we work." Despite Nelson and McGlinchey both receiving All-America acclaim, the dis- mal season resulted in a 4-8 finish. Consequently, 2017 for Nelson is not nec- essarily about attaining individual glory but as one of six captains, along with McGlinchey, providing an impetus and leadership for collective success. He will define his season by what the line is able to achieve for the team as a whole. "What I want is this offensive line to be the best in the country, and we have the players to do that, the mindset to do that and the coach to do that," Nel- son said. "Playing together is one thing I wish we did better, and seeing things together as an offensive line." He will be truly on guard duty for that. — Lou Somogyi Nelson is projected to be the top offensive guard available in the 2018 NFL Draft by NFL Draft Countdown's Scott Wright, while ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. lists him as the No. 1 draft eligible underclassman guard. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA