Some time in 2011 or so, Brian Kelly spent just a few minutes in the gym at Philadelphia’s William Penn Charter High School before a comparison hit him. Mike McGlinchey, the offensive line recruit he came to see play basketball for an initial impression, dabbled as a tight end and was successful in his hardwood side hustle. An old name who was one of Kelly’s first big-time NFL prospects as a head coach came to mind. The similarity became clearer as the recruitment went on and McGlinchey arrived at Notre Dame.
“I said, ’That’s Joe Staley,” Kelly recalled in a Zoom press conference Tuesday. “He was a tight end, basketball player. They just had so many similarities in terms of his demeanor, his attitude, his character.”
It is natural, then, they would end up teammates in the NFL years later.
Staley, a standout left tackle for Kelly at Central Michigan, retired this month after 13 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. McGlinchey was the 49ers first-round pick in 2018.
“When those guys became fast friends, it was not a surprise to me,” Kelly said.
Before there was Zach Martin’s 52 straight starts, five-star Quenton Nelson’s commitment and three years mauling opponents and McGlinchey and Ronnie Stanley’s development into top-10 picks, there was Staley — a former tight end Kelly and his coaching staff turned into a multi-year starter and the No. 28 pick in the 2007 draft. Even now, after landing coveted recruits and overseeing decorated individual careers on the offensive line, Staley is a standard for Kelly.
“Joe was a multi-sport athlete, had a great demeanor about him,” Kelly said. “He was always positive. He loved the challenge of when we moved him from tight end to tackle.”
The move happened before Staley’s sophomore year. It didn’t come trial free. Kelly remembered one practice shortly after Staley made the switch where Dan Bazuin, the soon-to-be MAC Defensive Player of the Year and future second-round pick, continually shoved and drove through Staley like a subway turnstile. Bazuin ended up in the backfield. Staley found himself planted on the ground.
“I remember Joe getting up and he’s pulling the grass and dirt away from his face after getting knocked down for the third or fourth time,” Kelly said. “He had a big smile on his face. He turned to me and said, ‘Boy I’m really going to love this job.’”
There were doubters about the move’s viability and sanity. Staley needed to be convinced at first. His father did, too. Staley was a sprinter on his high school track team with a 200-meter time of 21.9 seconds. He was skilled enough to see the field right away at tight end, catching 11 passes as a freshman tight end. The speed would, in theory, go to waste on the offensive line.
“His dad was not a fan of moving him,” Kelly said. “I said, ‘You have to trust me on this. I know this doesn’t seem like the right move, but he’s going to make a lot of money in the NFL.’ To this day, Mr. Staley and I have a pretty good relationship.”
Staley started the next three years on Central Michigan’s offensive line. The Chippewas had a 1,000-yard rusher in three straight seasons and a 2,000-yard passer in two straight. Staley never lost the speed. He ran a 4.7 40-yard dash at the school’s pro day.
“He ran a 4.7. 4.7!” Kelly said. “We’re talking about the big kid from Louisville [2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton] running a 5.0. He just had an incredible physical gift. … He was the consummate gentleman off the field, toughness on the field.”
Staley started 181 games in 13 seasons, was a three-time All-Pro and reached two Super Bowls. He was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team.
“I don’t have enough good things to say about him,” Kelly said. “He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.”
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