Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2017 29 BY BRYAN DRISKELL N otre Dame's senior class was one of the nation's top groups when it signed in February 2014. Scout ranked it as the No. 6 class in the land, and no one had it rated lower than No. 11. The 23-man haul was quickly deci- mated, though, with three players leaving within a year and three more transferring later on. In addition, a pair of players had to retire from football due to concussions, and quarterback DeShone Kizer left for the NFL following the 2016 season. Only 14 players remain, but nine are set to start, and another is primed to see major minutes along the defensive line. Notre Dame's punter is also from the class. Interestingly, only one skill player — cornerback Nick Watkins — returns for his senior season. Notre Dame's remaining members of the 2014 class will have a huge say in whether or not the Irish can win in the trenches and play with the physi- cality needed to be successful in 2017. TRENCH WARFARE Notre Dame is expected to have one of the nation's premier offensive lines, with Lindy's ranking it as the third-best unit in the country and Phil Steele's list- ing it as the sixth-best. For Notre Dame to achieve that sta- tus, the senior class will have to play a significant role. Winning battles up the middle is absolutely crucial to line suc- cess, and a member of the 2014 class will man every interior position in the starting lineup. Left guard Quenton Nelson was ar- guably Notre Dame's best player in 2016, and he's considered one of the best linemen in the country heading into this season. Every major publica- tion named him either a first- or sec- ond-team All-American, plus Sport- ing News ranked him as the 21st-best overall player in the land while Sports Illustrated listed him No. 27. Nelson is a powerful figure who is surprisingly athletic for someone who checks in at 6-5 and 330 pounds. With 23 career starts, he also enters the sea- son as one of the more experienced players on the Irish roster. Nelson has graded out well in the run game from the moment he entered the starting lineup. He was outstand- ing during Notre Dame's 38-3 season- opening victory over Texas in 2015 — his first career start — and he's thrived as a run blocker ever since. During the 2016 campaign, Nel- son showed improvement as a pass blocker, and that part of his game has continued to develop during the spring and fall camp. Those advancements have helped him become a strong all-around player, and it's a big reason some project the Holmdel, N.J., native as a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Struggles at center and right guard played a role in Notre Dame's incon- sistency running the football last sea- son, and improvements at both spots will be a major factor in upgrading the ground game in 2017. Center Sam Mustipher is possibly the most important player for the Irish line, and getting him to play up to his prep billing is a must for position coach Harry Hiestand. Mustipher was a four-star recruit and the No. 203 overall player in the land according to Rivals, and late in the 2016 season he started to show himself to be that kind of player. In the spring, his game took notable steps forward, and he's been a standout throughout fall camp. If Mustipher can carry his strong camp play into the regular season, it will give the Irish line the anchor it needs up the middle to be dominant. Alex Bars started two contests at guard in 2015 before moving out to right tackle, where he started all 12 games in 2016. He is back inside at right guard in hopes of helping shore up the interior. After struggling with his weight last season, Bars has entered fall camp in tremendous shape. He checked in at 312 pounds when he arrived for camp and reshaped his body, losing some of the bad weight he had in his gut and backside, and he's added good size to his upper body and thighs, which are vital to a lineman. The refinement from a conditioning standpoint has come with advance- ments in functional strength, and throughout camp Bars was far more effective at getting movement as a run blocker than during the 2016 season. Should Nelson continue his out- standing play while Mustipher and Bars continue their upward trajectory, the Irish will have an interior line ca- pable of going toe-to-toe with and win- ning battles against the best defenses on the schedule. DEFENSIVE LINE STALWARTS One of the areas of greatest concern about the 2017 Notre Dame football team is its defensive line. The unit produced just three sacks last fall, and none of them came from the current senior class. In fact, that group had just one combined tackle for loss last season. Notre Dame must get dramatic im- provement in production from the line, and without better play from the se- nior class that will not happen. At this point, predicting success is all about projection. The lack of proven production from the returning linemen is concerning, but there are reasons for optimism. Two seniors will start up front, plus a third is being asked to serve as a play- maker at both end spots. Jay Hayes emerged as the starting strongside end during the spring and locked down that spot in fall camp. The 290-pound native of Brooklyn, N.Y., has made only 12 tackles and 0.5 stops behind the line in his career. Hayes had offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, USC, Michigan and Georgia as a prep player. Notre Dame needs him to become a force and show the skills that he dis- THE FINAL FLOURISH The senior class has dealt with attrition, but can go out on a high note in 2017 Senior left guard Quenton Nelson is considered not only one of the best offensive linemen in the country, but also one of the top college players regardless of position. Sporting News ranked him as the No. 21 player nationally, while Sports Illustrated had him at No. 27. PHOTO BY RICK KIMBALL