It may not feel like it, but spring isn’t too far away. For Notre Dame and Brian Kelly’s football team, spring practice is starting earlier than every, kicking off in early March.
The rationale for moving up the calendar isn’t 100 percent clear, but what is certain are the steps the Irish need to take to get back to the elite. As college football enters the playoff era, the 15 practices this spring will give the Irish their marching orders heading into summer workouts.
Needing to replace key starters on both sides of the ball, let’s take a look at the pre-spring practice depth chart, starting along the offensive line.
OFFENSIVE LINE DEPTH CHART
Nick Martin, Sr. — C*
Matt Hegarty, Sr. — C*
Christian Lombard, GS — G/T
Conor Hanratty, Sr. — G*
Mark Harrell, Jr. — G*
Hunter Bivin, Soph. — G/C*
Colin McGovern, Soph. — G*
John Montelus, Soph. — G*
Ronnie Stalney, Jr. — T*
Steve Elmer, Soph. — G/T
Mike McGlinchey, Soph. — T*
*Fifth-year of eligibility available.
Harry Hiestand won’t know what to do with himself this spring. After having miniature groups the past few springs with the depth chart in poor shape, competition will be at a premium this spring, with the two-deep stocked with people competing for playing time.
The departure of Zack Martin and Chris Watt leave two gigantic holes in the offensive line, but there are plenty of candidates to fill the jobs. Let’s walk through the spring objectives for each lineman on the depth chart.
SPRING OBJECTIVES
Nick Martin: First and foremost is returning healthy after a knee injury ended Martin’s season early. Kelly gave good news on that front, calling Martin ahead of schedule during a press conference at the end of January. That doesn’t necessarily mean Martin will be taking live reps, and if he does that goes to show you how quickly he’s healed.
Then again, if he doesn’t, it’s a sign that the staff is comfortable letting him get through spring healthy. After a more than serviceable debut season in the starting lineup, the hope would be that Martin takes that leap forward in his second season at center.
Matt Hegarty: After battling some really serious health issues, Hegarty had to be one of the true surprises of the season, stepping into the lineup after Martin got hurt and holding his own against some really difficult competition. Hegarty played well against BYU, Stanford and Rutgers, facing off with some solid competition and showing himself fully recovered from a scary stroke he suffered.
Hegarty was a highly touted recruit. He’s got the size and athleticism the Irish staff targeted from the start. If he’s able to push Martin at center, there’s a chance he could play his way into a swing role at both guard and center, making himself a key reserve heading into the season.
Christian Lombard: Irish fans have all but forgotten about Lombard, the 2012 starting right tackle who shifted inside to play guard alongside Ronnie Stanley. But Lombard went down with a back injury early in the season, forcing Steve Elmer into the starting lineup. If healthy, Lombard is a key returning starter that could serve as an anchor on the interior.
The lone fifth-year player on the depth chart, Lombard has played a lot of football and has always been highly thought of by this staff. (Take a trip in the “Way Back Machine” and remember the Irish staff letting Matt Romine play out his eligibility elsewhere to allow Lombard to start at tackle.) Lombard’s a big body at guard who has the ability to play tackle as well.
Conor Hanratty: Hanratty was impressive last season, cutting into Elmer’s reps at guard before being forced into a more regular role when Chris Watt got injured. Now a senior, Hanratty’s urgency for a starting job will only be elevated. How things shake out on the interior of the offensive line should be interesting.
Expect Hanratty to stake a claim to a guard job, though what the staff does with Elmer remains to be seen. Depth like this is hardly a problem, but it certainly makes for a nice challenge. With redshirts coming off some other guys, the guard competition will be fierce.
Mark Harrell: After redshirting during 2012, Harrell didn’t see the field in 2013 either. From what we’ve heard from the coaching staff, Harrell’s got positional flexibility on the interior of the line, though he’ll be competing at a packed position with talented guys both younger and older than him. Getting on the map will be the first order of spring for Harrell.
Hunter Bivin: This will be our first look at Bivin, who was an emergency option down the stretch last season. A really athletic prospect who came into Notre Dame as a highly touted recruit, Bivin could play anywhere along the line, though might be Notre Dame’s next center after Martin and Hegarty move on.
Colin McGovern: McGovern wasn’t completely healthy last season, so spring will be a good opportunity to get his first true reps as someone competing for playing time. The Illinois native should earn some fans on the coaching staff with his mauler style, but he’ll have to work his way through a stocked depth chart as well.
John Montelus: Another redshirt getting his first look at true competition. Kelly spoke about Montelus’ recovery from shoulder surgery, proclaiming him healthy for spring. He’s a physically different player than most of the guys on the depth chart, with his 340 pounds a rather eye-popping number. That kind of heft might be useful in the trenches.
Ronnie Stanley: This is an important spring for Stanley, who had a sneaky, below-the-radar type season for the Irish in 2013. It’ll be clear to most that Stanley is a very good football player. Is he the Irish starting right tackle again? Does he shift to the left side? Does it really matter?
Stanley is a building block for this offensive line and will be counted on to be a key player next season. He should spend this spring asserting his dominance and preparing to be a front-line championship-level player for the Irish.
Steve Elmer: We’re past the point of wondering “if” Elmer plays next season. But “where” is a really interesting question. It’ll be important to give the sophomore a real opportunity to make a home at a position. You could make a decent argument that it could be at three or four different spots.
Elmer’s got the size and ability to be a left tackle. But if Mike McGlinchey is in the coaching staff’s plans at that position, then Elmer’s too good to keep off the field. In that case, he could slide inside and take over Chris Watt’s job. But that’s keeping some very good football players off the field as well. If Stanley flips to the left side, Elmer could play right tackle. And he spent a ton of last season playing right guard.
These type of dilemmas aren’t problems for coaching staffs. And as Alabama showed with Barrett Jones, it’s possible to slide a talented lineman all around. Elmer has that type of ability, so it’ll be a fun spring to watch what happens.
Mike McGlinchey: That Elmer isn’t a lock to step in at left tackle says a lot about McGlinchey. Expect to see and hear a lot about the monument-sized tackle, who will likely be given the first shot at the starting job. The season off likely helped McGlinchey grow into his 6-foot-8 frame, and he’ll have packed on plenty of weigh from his listed 290 pounds.
Brian Kelly has raved about McGlinchey’s athleticism, calling him athletic enough to play tight end during his signing day press conference and then talking about his arm strength and basketball ability as well. It’ll be fun to watch McGlinchey take his first meaningful snaps this spring.
Putting a redshirt freshman at left tackle is a big decision. But McGlinchey seems to fit the part well.
