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erful and productive left side. Plus, after going through a few practices this spring, he didn't think it was necessary. "Nick and Matt are making good progress to where we're not feeling like, 'Geez, we're really struggling at that position,'" Hiestand said. "If we were really struggling at that position, it might be a consideration." Growth Potential Listed at 6-5, 284 pounds this spring, Nick Martin was the "runt" of the starting front line, with the other four starters averaging 315 pounds per man. Martin said he was up to the 290-pound range after overcoming an illness just prior to spring practice, and he plans to max out this year at about 295, which was the playing weight of Golic, the graduated 2012 right guard. Weight is not something Martin has fretted over during his career. "You can't be what you're not," he said. "If you're lighter you just have to become good at different things. You have to be more fundamentally sound [with] technique, little tricks you can learn to help supplement you not being as big as other people." His confidence was buoyed this spring while blocking 347-pound nose guard Louis Nix III, one of the nation's elite interior linemen. It gives Martin appreciation for leverage and concentrating on consistent technique. "Being able to go against him daily will just make me a better football player," Martin said. "I really enjoy it. Just staying low, be able to keep your balance, because he's quick but powerful. You have to be balanced to make sure he doesn't throw you off, but yet you've got to be low enough where you can move him — at least a little bit — to make a hole." Nix admitted he might have initially been in cruise control this spring versus Martin and Hegarty. "I took them lightly at first, but I found out not to do that because those guys really want a spot," Nix said. "They're going hard on me every play so I have to do the same to them … those guys came out and showed me, 'We want to go up against Louis Nix, we feel like he'll make us better.' "And they're showing me they can make me better, not underestimate anybody. They hit me in the mouth every play, I hit them in the mouth every play, and we just get better as a team … I expect nothing less but a good performance from both [centers]." The same with Hiestand, who pointed out that when he coached the Chicago Bears from 2005-10, his center Olin Kreutz was listed at 292 pounds and even fell to about 275 during the season. Yet Kreutz was named the to the NFL's All-Decade Team from 200009. According to Hiestand, Martin's range, arm length and reach surpass Cave's, and his calmness under duress makes him a natural at center. "He's got a good, steady demeanor, and that's important for a center because he's obviously got to start each play," Hiestand said. Other positions at Notre Dame will be drawing more attention in 2013, but consistent performance at center will be as valued as any area. ✦