Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2017 13 UNDER THE DOME Two out of three isn't bad. Among the three Notre Dame juniors who submitted applications for NFL evaluation (deadline for declaring for the draft was Jan. 16), two will return in 2017 as seniors. Left guard Quenton Nelson gave Notre Dame the "best of three" victory the eve of the deadline when he stated via social media that he will come back. Quarterback DeShone Kizer (going) and Mike line- backer Nyles Morgan (staying) made their plans known in December. A fourth Notre Dame player, senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey, also asked for feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, but is returning for a fifth year. This is significant because the two best seasons under head coach Brian Kelly at Notre Dame occurred when a top figure on offense and another on defense opted to not turn pros as juniors. In 2012, linebacker Manti Te'o and tight end Tyler Eifert both re- turned as seniors instead of turning pro, and they won the Butkus and Mackey Awards, respectively, while leading the Irish to a 12-1 record. In 2015, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and defensive lineman Sheldon Day also decided not to turn pro as juniors, and as captains they led a 10-1 start that had the Irish in the College Football Playoff conversation before they lost their final two contests. Conversely, 2016 was the year of early exits for the Irish, losing stalwarts in wide receiver Will Fuller and linebacker Jaylon Smith (who would have been sidelined anyway after incurring a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl), guard Steve Elmer (early graduation), plus run- ning back C.J. Prosise and cornerback KeiVarae Russell, both of who bypassed a fifth season of eligibility. Meanwhile, in 2014 both defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt and tight end Troy Niklas departed after their junior seasons to become second- round picks in the NFL Draft. The Irish finished 8-5 that season. Nelson received feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, but ultimately chose to return for his senior season at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY RICK KIMBALL Quenton Nelson's Return Is A Boost To The Offensive Line COLIN MCGOVERN WILL USE HIS FIFTH SEASON AT VIRGINIA Notre Dame's 2017 offensive line will be one of the team's more experienced units, but it will need to replace 2016 eight-game starter Colin McGovern, who will join fellow 2013 Fighting Irish recruit and offensive lineman John Montelus at Virginia for their fifth-year senior seasons. Last August, the 6-4, 310-pound McGovern won the starting right guard job, vacated by early gradu- ate Steve Elmer, over fellow senior Hunter Bivin and sophomore Tristen Hoge (the backup center in 2016). McGovern started the first six games before an ankle injury sidelined him in the 17-10 loss to Stanford Oct. 15 (with Bivin the starter). After the bye week Oct. 22, McGovern incurred a concussion (his second in the past year) in the win over Miami. He started the next week against Navy, but the final three starts at right guard were by fifth-year senior Mark Harrell. McGovern, besieged by injuries much of his ca- reer, had the option to return in 2017, but would not be considered a lock for a starting spot because of the return of Hoge — entering his third season on the team — and the rise of current freshman Tommy Kraemer, who like Quenton Nelson in 2014 was one of Notre Dame's top two recruits (No. 41 overall prospect nationally according to Rivals) in 2016 prior to redshirting. Entering the 2016 season, assistant coach Harry Hiestand's offensive line had 27 career starts to its credit — 14 by McGlinchey (who would be playing a new position), 11 by Nelson and two by Bars. This year, it will nearly triple that total with 76 — left tackle Mike McGlinchey has 26, left guard Nelson 23, right tackle Alex Bars 14, center Sam Mustipher 12 and guard/tackle Bivin one. NOTRE DAME'S RUDY 'DECOMMITS' Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, whose life story and dream of walking on and playing football at Notre Dame, was made into the Hollywood movie "Rudy" in 1993, was baptized into the Mormon faith, or the Latter Day Saints Church of Jesus Christ, the weekend of Jan. 21. The now 68-year-old Ruettiger achieved folk-hero status at Notre Dame when he left his factory work in Joliet, Ill., shortly after a friend's death to pursue his against-all-odds dream of playing football for the Fighting Irish. In 1975, the then 27-year-old senior Ruettiger was finally allowed to dress in the final home game of the season, and in the game's closing seconds he was inserted and concluded the 24-3 victory over Georgia Tech by recording a sack, prompting teammates to carry him off the field in a victory ride. A few years ago when Brigham Young was playing at Notre Dame, 2005-15 Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall (now at Virginia) invited Ruettiger to a "fireside chat" the eve of the game in which testimony from the players impressed Ruettiger and resulted in his even- tual baptism into LDS. Notre Dame's most famous Mormon player likely will still remain 2009-12 linebacker Manti Te'o. McGovern started eight games at right guard for the Irish in 2016, but was not guaranteed a starting job this fall. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS