Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/377020
Stanley said. Last fall, Notre Dame allowed only eight sacks all season, which ranked second among Football Bowl Subdivi- sion teams. That was with quarterback Tommy Rees, known better for his foot- ball acumen than mobility. Now, how- ever, the Irish offense has a new look with dual-threat signal-caller Everett Golson. "I definitely think we're going to have to block the same people and even lon- ger, because our quarterback's not going to give up on the play," Stanley said. "Everett's fun blocking for, but you can't stop blocking for him because you never know when he's going to do something else. You've got to keep playing through the whole play." Senior center Nick Martin has as- sumed his brother's role as the leader of the offensive line, but Stanley (a second- year starter like Martin) isn't afraid to stand out in that regard either. "Ronnie has a personality that … the room heats up when he's in there," head coach Brian Kelly said. "You know Ron- nie is in the room. He's definitely grow- ing and maturing. He's got leadership capabilities. Every day he starts to show more and more of that. I think it's pretty clear that Nick is the leader on the of- fensive line, and [fifth-year senior right guard Christian Lombard] is probably right there with him, and then Ronnie is starting to grow into his role as well." The differences are subtle to the un- trained eye, but plenty of adjustments went into Stanley switching positions from right to left tackle. According to Kelly, the transition is still ongoing. "First of all, you have to have some- body that is a really good athlete, and athleticism has to be part of making that switch," Kelly said. "Here is a kid that played on a very, very good high school basketball team, it might have been one of the better ones in the country. Some- body that is athletic is premium in mak- ing that kind of decision because he's changing hands, if you will. "Then repetition [is the key]. He has to get a lot of work. That was one position that we didn't mess around with once we moved him. He stayed there, he got the reps and we committed to keeping him in that position and not be moving him around." In his second year as a starter, Stanley has moved from right tackle to left tackle to replace first-round draft pick Zack Martin. PHOTO BY MIKE BENNETT/LIGHTHOUSE IMAGING