Notre Dame Football: All-time Brian Kelly era team

Tackles

Out of every position ever deployed by Kelly, left tackle easily has the richest history. Kelly, alongside former offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, has managed to put together some of the nation’s top offensive line units in recent memory. Despite widespread talent, the left tackle position always seems to be one of significant strength.

To put things in perspective, offensive lineman Zack Martin is currently serving as one of the Dallas Cowboys brightest stars, but had to be bumped to right guard in order to create space on such a talented offensive line. One particular talent, current Baltimore Raven Ronnie Stanley, cracks the list as one of the best Notre Dame offensive linemen ever.

Stanley, who played four years with the Irish, made his impact felt almost immediately, starting every game at right tackle as a sophomore. However, it wasn’t until Stanley’s junior year that he began to receive the recognition he deserved. Stanley would go on to start in 26 straight games in his last two seasons, all while being named to multiple All-American teams and earning numerous awards.

While two-time Notre Dame captain Mike McGlinchey is most known for his time at left tackle, he makes the list as a right tackle as his time at right was more recognizable than Stanley’s. In fact, McGlinchey would go on to start in 13 games at right tackle over the course of his junior year, performing well enough to place him on the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy watch lists in 2016.

McGlinchey made the eventual switch to left tackle in the wake of his success at right, but his solid play at the latter is more than enough to earn him a spot along Kelly’s all-time offensive line. The former four-star product out of Philadelphia stepped up yet again over the course of his final two seasons with Notre Dame, earning back to back captaincy honors for the Irish.

Overall, McGlinchey’s success as a tackle rivals that of many Notre Dame greats. While some may argue that his value was somewhat undermined by teammate Quenton Nelson, his efforts were rewarded in full as he was selected 9th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Guards

The best Notre Dame prospect since Stanley in 2016, Nelson lived up to all of the hype and then some as an Irish offensive guard. Unlike many along the offensive line, Nelson remained at left guard throughout his college career, recording each of his 27 starts at that position.

As the 2018 NFL Draft drew nearer, it was clear that Nelson was going to fall somewhere within the first ten picks. That consensus came to pass with the No. 6 pick as the Indianapolis Colts selected Nelson with their first round pick. McGlinchey would go only a few picks later, a testament to the Irish’s dominance along the offensive line.

Despite losing out on the 2018 Outland Trophy, Nelson has the potential to solidify himself as one of the most successful Notre Dame linemen to make it into the NFL. While that is no easy task, Nelson has never failed to rise to the occasion. With that said, Nelson’s college career is already settled and he’s likely to go down as one of the best to ever do it.

Here lies the one exception to the rule laid out in the introduction of this article. Given the disparity of importance between the left tackle and right guard positions, Kelly has been inclined to put many of his best players at the former, limiting the amount of talent utilized at right guard. However, given Zack Martin’s success at right guard in Dallas, I’m inclined to pencil him in here.

In other words, it didn’t feel right to have a Notre Dame offensive line that featured either Trevor Robinson or Chris Watt over Stanley or Martin. In terms of talent, Martin boasted all of the necessary tools desired in a generational player. After redshirting in 2009, Martin’s college career began at the very same time as Kelly’s coaching tenure with the Irish.

Only a few years later, Martin was already being considered as Kelly’s best player ever. That alone wasn’t a huge honor at the time, but the sentiment still stands true nearly a decade into Kelly’s tenure with Notre Dame. Regardless, Martin’s national recognition earned him numerous prestigious awards on way to him being drafted by the Cowboys with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Center

Nick Martin, brother of the aforementioned Zack Martin, cracks this list as one of Kelly’s best starting centers. Despite finishing up his career as a guard, Martin had started at center in each of his previous 14 games, solidifying himself as a force along the offensive line.

While Martin also enjoyed success at guard, it was his play at center that placed him on the Lombardi Award and Rimington watch lists, the latter of which is awarded to the nation’s best center. Nick sometimes found himself playing under the shadow of his standout brother Zack, but this rarely seemed to faze him considering his overall contributions to Kelly’s offensive line.

Martin’s effectiveness wasn’t limited to his play on the field, however, as his leadership qualities led to him being named captain in his senior season. While current senior Sam Mustipher may supplant Martin at the end of the day, the spot on this team is currently the latter’s to lose.