Notre Dame’s All-Decade Offensive Lines
Following this weekend’s commitment from Clarkston, Mich., native and offensive guard Rocco Spindler, we featured Notre Dame’s best offensive line recruiting hauls in a single class since the move to two-platoon football (or players not playing both offense and defense) in 1964.
Spindler’s pledge make him and Avon, Ind., tackle Blake Fisher the first tandem to commit to Notre Dame in the Rivals era (begun in 2002) who are both ranked among the nation’s top 60 overall prospects.
This has been an amazing calendar year for the past, present and future regarding Notre Dame’s offensive line.
• The past included an amazing three first-team All-Pro selections in January with guards Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson, plus tackle Ronnie Stanley.
• The present includes the most starts returning (114) along a Notre Dame line, spread among six players. Pro Football Focus had four Fighting Irish among its top 30 returning offensive linemen in 2020 (easily the most), while Lindy’s ranked it as the top line in the country.
• The future includes not only Fisher and Spindler, but five other players who have yet to burn a year of eligibility and ranked among the nation’s top 250 prospects, four of them among the top 136, led by sophomore tackle Quinn Carroll at No. 68.
Plus, the 2022 recruiting began with a commitment from Zionsville, Ind., four-star offensive lineman Joey Tanona.
The one school coming closest to rivaling that level of quality and quantity along the line from 2019-21 is Alabama, which has landed six top-250 prospects there, four of them among the top 100.
Thus, Notre Dame has put itself in excellent position along the offensive line in the early 2020s, notwithstanding national skepticism about college football season taking place this year.
Can the 2020s set a new standard of offensive line excellence in a decade at Notre Dame? The bar is extremely high from the 2010s, but here is our All-Decade units from the past six:
2010-19
LT Ronnie Stanley, LG Quenton Nelson, C Nick Martin, RG Zack Martin and RT Mike McGlinchey
Stanley was graded as the best pass-blocking tackle in the NFL last year, and the elder Martin — six Pro Bowls in six years — and Nelson, the league’s top-rated guard, have future Pro Football Hall of Fame careers in front of them.
The younger Martin (Nick) has started every game at center the past two years at Houston, while McGlinchey also has the makings of a future Pro Bowl player.
2000-09
LT Ryan Harris, LG Jeff Faine, C John Sullivan, RG Jordan Black and RT Sam Young
Whereas the 2010s produced four first-round picks and one in the second (the younger Martin), 2002 consensus All-American Faine was the lone one from this decade, and no one made the pro Bowl. We have the center Faine moved to guard to make room for Sullivan.
Sullivan and Young were sixth-round selections, but Young is entering his 11th year in the NFL and Sullivan also played 11, including a Super Bowl start.
Harris was a starter at left tackle for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, and Black quietly lasted a decade in the league.
1990-99
LT Luke Petitgout, LG Aaron Taylor, C Tim Ruddy, RG Mike Gandy and RT Mike Rosenthal
Lombardi Award winner Taylor and Petitgout were both first-round picks, while Ruddy went in the second. Both Petitgout and Gandy originally were recruited as tight ends.
Knee problems cut short Taylor’s career, but he was a Super Bowl starter and champion. Ruddy started nine straight years at center (140 starts) for Miami and was the lone player from this decade to make a Pro Bowl. Petitgout had 110 starts and Gandy 106.
Rosenthal played both guard and tackle in college and the pros, where his NFL career lasted nearly a decade.
1980-89
LT Andy Heck, LG Tim Grunhard, C John Scully, RG Tom Thayer and RT Phil Pozderac
All but Pozderac played professionally at least 10 years — although Grunhard was the lone selection to the Pro Bowl, which shows just how difficult it is. Heck and Grunhard, superb leaders for the 1988 national champions, each started 164 games in the NFL, while Thayer started for the 1986 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.
Now known more as the composer of “Here Come The Irish,” brilliant pianist Scully was a consensus All-American and 10-year NFL player. Pozderac played seven years in the NFL.
1970-79
LT Tim Foley, LG Steve Sylvester, C Dave Huffman, RG Ernie Hughes … and RT Dave Casper
This might be astounding to believe, but head coach Ara Parseghian’s powerhouse 1970-74 units that were 47-8, highlighted by the 1973 national title and No. 2 in 1970, had one offensive lineman who played in the NFL — 10th-round choice Sylvester, who would win three Super Bowls with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
Foley and Huffman were second-round selections, with Huffman playing 12 years in the NFL despite listed with only 22 starts. Third-round pick Hughes had 29 starts.
Notre Dame was short enough on tackles that 1973 All-America tight end Casper started and excelled at tackle in 1971 and 1972, and is now enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame as a tight end. Tackle-eligible play, anyone?
1960-69
LT Paul Seiler, LG Tom Regner, C George Goeddeke, RG Bob Kuechenberg and RT George Kunz
This group might best rival the 2010-19 unit.
Seiler, Regner and Kunz were all first-round picks — Kunz No. 2 overall in 1969 (behind O.J. Simpson), and he would make eight Pro Bowls. Two-time Super Bowl champion Kuechenberg had six Pro Bowl appearances, although after starting for the 1966 national champs at offensive tackle, he played defensive end his final two years at Notre Dame.
Third-round pick Goeddeke had a six-year NFL career with 60 starts.
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