Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Here are the five most likely to make that leap from the sidelines to the spot- light this fall. 5 MIKE MCGLINCHEY OFFENSIVE TACKLE Many scouts and recruiting analysts pegged McGlinchey as the offensive lineman with the most long-term po- tential in the 2013 Irish signing class. His 6-7½, 290-pound frame promised a great future for the Philadelphia native after he added some more weight and got used to the grind of college life. McGlinchey has now had a year to fill out in Notre Dame's weight room and is a top candidate to take over one of the two vacant spots on the offen- sive line. Now at 300 pounds, McGlinchey started the team's spring workouts at right tackle with the first group of offensive linemen. Head coach Brian Kelly listed him as one of four candi- dates to take over the tackle spot left open by the loss of veteran Zack Mar- tin. During the first week of practice, ju- nior Ronnie Stanley moved from right tackle, where he started 13 games in 2013, to take Martin's spot on the left side. Sophomore Steve Elmer lined up next to Stanley at guard, which gives Notre Dame a powerful duo that could eventually grow into a reliable side of the line in the same role that Martin and fellow graduate Chris Watt held the past three seasons. That leaves the right tackle spot open for McGlinchey, who drew high praise from the coach- ing staff after his first day of spring. "What we've seen is that he's a tough, physical kid. Mentally tough," Kelly said. "He plays physical, and he's got all the tools to handle the posi- tion at tackle." McGlinchey is currently lined up next to a former starter at tackle in fifth-year senior Christian Lombard. The newcomer impressed Lombard in the past year with his work ethic. "He could practice for 48 hours straight," Lombard said. "He's got in- credible stamina and not a lot of fat at all. He's a specimen. He has to hone his fundamentals and his skills, but he's got the raw talent, that's for sure." Several options exist along the of- fensive line. Lombard, senior Matt Hegarty and sophomore Hunter Bivin are also viable candidates to claim those two open jobs, depending on how Kelly and his staff decide to mix and match to get their best five line- men on the field. McGlinchey has the length and ath- leticism to be an NFL tackle in the fu- ture. He also has the skills to be an extra blocking tight end in jumbo sets if needed. If McGlinchey has honed his fundamentals enough for Notre Dame to use him in 2014, the Irish could field another impressive front line on of- fense. 4 TORII HUNTER JR. WIDE RECEIVER There's a good chance Hunter would not be on this list if it weren't for the extensive rehab he needed to repair the femur he broke before getting to South Bend. The swift wide receiver and for- mer high school baseball star started turning heads on the scout team when he returned to full health. The spring will give Hunter (6-0, 190