Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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semester ended Golson transferred to Florida State for his final season, which left Zaire as the last man stand- ing. It is now Zaire's turn to run the show for the Irish, and he enters the 2015 campaign with three years of eligibility remaining. He has an op- portunity to provide stability at the position, something Notre Dame has lacked since Jimmy Clausen. Zaire is a physically and mentally tough athlete who is known for strong leadership traits. His arm talent is out- standing, and he is arguably the best athlete — speed, power, agility — to play the position since Tony Rice was leading Notre Dame to a 24-1 record during his final two seasons in 1988- 89. The question surrounding the signal caller is can he harness all his physi- cal gifts and become a quarterback that can efficiently run Kelly's offense? That would help turn the Irish offense into the dynamic unit it is capable of becoming. WINNING IN THE TRENCHES Notre Dame's five-man offensive line haul in 2013 was considered one of the nation's elite units. Four of the five signees were graded as top 100 national recruits by at least one recruit- ing service. It marked the first full class brought in by offensive line mentor Harry Hi- estand, who was hired the previous January. Notre Dame fans hoped the group would eventually fuel a resur- gence in the ground game, and that is what the front is expected to do in the fall. Right guard Steve Elmer enters the season with 17 career starts. He was up-and-down as a youngster, but El- mer is now a veteran and must play like it. He enjoyed a strong spring and appears to be on the right path. Elmer and right tackle Mike Mc- Glinchey were the two most talented linemen from the signing class. Their first start together came in the Music City Bowl, and it was not a coinci- dence that Notre Dame rushed for 263 yards in the game. It needs this duo to start being talked about for their dominance, instead of their potential. Although Elmer and McGlinchey are the only two projected starters, expectations remain high for the rest of the group. Guard John Montelus battled weight issues and inconsis- tency his first two seasons, but was the most improved lineman this spring, putting himself in position to be a top backup. Hunter Bivin is the backup at left tackle and could find himself pushing for playing time once he re- turns to better health. RE-ESTABLISHING TIGHT END DOMINANCE One position where Notre Dame has received top-level production during Kelly's tenure is at tight end — at least until last season. The Irish saw their tight end output go from 58 receptions for 799 yards in 2012 to 42 receptions for 669 yards in 2013 to 31 receptions for just 324 yards last fall. Those were the position's low- est numbers since 2008, when Irish tight ends hauled in 31 passes for 346 yards. The responsibility for getting the