Notre Dame’s Best Recruiting Classes Along The Offensive Line

For the first time in the Rivals era that officially began in 2002, Notre Dame could have two offensive linemen ranked among the outlet’s Top 60 national prospects.

That’s because on Saturday, Clarkston, Mich., guard Rocco Spindler (currently No. 56) gave his verbal pledge to Notre Dame, where he will join Avon, Ind., tackle Blake Fisher (currently No. 22) in the class.

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Where and how they will be rated later is to be determined at a future date, but joining them along the line are three-star prospects Pat Coogan and Joe Alt.

Notre Dame also landed a four-man harvest along the line in 2019 that was led by tackle Quinn Carroll (No. 68) and augmented by center Zeke Correll (No. 114), guard John Olmstead (No. 118) and tackle Andrew Kristofic, who played in the 2019 All-American Bowl in San Antonio and purportedly made a strong freshman impression in 2019.

Can this become one of the best offensive line hauls ever at Notre Dame in both quantity and quality? That will be answered in four or five years, but first a standard must be given on what constitutes the "best" in terms of team impact, balance at the position and how many do become major figures.

For example, in 2006, Notre Dame signed a six-man offensive line class — Sam Young, Eric Olsen, Chris Stewart, Dan Wenger, Matt Carufel and Bartley Webb — that at the time was projected by recruiting analysts as maybe the greatest assembly of offensive line talent in one class at Notre Dame, and maybe all of college football.

It wasn’t bad, with Young and Olsen becoming sixth-round picks (and Young still in the NFL), but it endured a lot of growing pains and setbacks while the team went 16-21 their final three seasons.

One caveat: We begin this list with 1964 — the year college football went to two platoons (offense and defense) permanently. Otherwise, units from the 1940s and 1950s would be at the top.

Here is our top 10 of best recruited offensive lines in a year at Notre Dame since 1964:

Mike McGlinchey, Steve Elmer, Colin McGovern, Hunter Bivin and John Montelus

First-round pick McGlinchey earned consensus All-American honors and was the No. 9 overall NFL pick in 2018 (and the first tackle).

Elmer started two-and-a-half years and graduated in three. He might have had a pro career but had no interest in continuing football.

McGovern, Bivin and Montelus were slowed by injuries.

Tim Grunhard, Dean Brown, Jeff Pearson, Brian Shannon and Jim Kinsherf

Lou Holtz’s first recruiting class included second-round pick and long-time Kansas City Chiefs center Grunhard, whose son Colin is a current walk-on center for the Irish.

Brown started next to him two years on teams that won a school record 23 straight games.

Pearson, from the same high school as Grunhard and much more highly touted, started as a sophomore before getting dismissed. He transferred to Michigan State. Several other Chicago-land line prospects were also dismissed from this class.

Joining this group later was walk-on and future NFL player Mike Brennan — but he actually enrolled in 1985.

Aaron Taylor, Tim Ruddy and Mike McGlinn

Two-time consensus All-American Taylor won the Lombardi Award and was a first-round pick.

He and center Ruddy — a second-round selection who starred 10 years in the NFL — spearheaded a line that helped Notre Dame win 17 straight games. McGlinn was never a full-time starter, but he also was inserted at times as a blocking tight end.

Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Tim Monty, Tom McKinley and Ed Tuck

Future NFL All-Pros and Hall of Fame candidates Kuechenberg and Kunz headlined this quintet. Kunz, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1969 NFL Draft, started as a sophomore for the 1966 national champs before he was injured in the second game and replaced by Kuechenberg, who moved to defense in 1967. Had Kuechenberg stayed on offense, this group would be in the top 5.

McKinley was a two-year starter at guard, while Monty started at center as a senior and finished out the 1966 national title run as a 198-pound snapper against Michigan State and USC in place of the injured George Goeddeke.

Tuck was a sixth-round NFL pick at guard despite not starting for the Irish.

Mike Heldt, Tim Ryan, Winston Sandri, Joe Allen and Brian Shannon

Center Heldt and guard Ryan were three-year starters, highlighted by the school-record 23-game winning streak in 1988-89 that included a national title and a No. 2 finish. Their impact was significant, with Ryan moving over from linebacker after his freshman year. Sandri and Allen also started several times between them as sophomores for the 1988 national champs, and provided quality depth in future years.

Ernie Hughes, Steve McDaniels, Dave Vinson, Harry Woebkenberg and Mike Carney

A three-year starter at right guard, Hughes was a second-team AP and UPI All-American for the 1977 national champs, while the 6-7, 276-pound McDaniels — a Goliath in his time — joined him on the right side.

Vinson earned Academic All-American notice as a part-time starter at left guard.

Tackle Woebkenberg and guard Carney started on the left side as juniors in 1976 before leaving Notre Dame for different reasons prior to their senior years.

Quenton Nelson, Sam Mustipher, Alex Bars and Jimmy Byrne

In prior years, Byrne might have had a chance to start, but with the nine offensive linemen Notre Dame signed in 2013 (five) and then in this class, it was a challenge in itself to break into the two deep.

On any future all-time Notre Dame teams, unanimous All-American guard Nelson will be one of the five representatives along the offensive line.

Mustipher and Bars also were named captains (like Nelson) and were three-year starters who were vital figure during Notre Dame’s 22-4 run in 2017-18, highlighted by a College Football Playoff bid in 2018.

Mirko Jurkovic, Justin Hall, Gene McGuire and Lindsay Knapp

Four offensive linemen were signed in 1988 — and each became two-year starters for a top-5-10 program. That is an outstanding and rare hit rate.

Jurkovic, who played on defense for the 1988 national champs, was an All-American right guard as a senior, and Hall was on the verge of starting as a freshman right tackle before getting injured. Sadly, both died far too young.

McGuire played guard, center and tackle during his career, and Knapp was a two-year starter at left tackle.

Gerry DiNardo, Steve Sylvester, Steve Neece, Steve Quehl and Ed Bauer

DiNardo was a three-year starter and consensus All-American right guard, while right tackle Sylvester won three Super Bowl rings for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, plus a 1973 national title ring.

Left tackle Neece also started every game in 1973-74 when Notre Dame was 21-2.

Quehl began his career at tight end, played tackle and started at center for Dan Devine’s 1975 team — a unit that left tackle Bauer, who also enrolled as a tight end, co-captained.

Tom Regner, Paul Seiler, George Goeddeke and Dick Swatland

Interim coach Hugh Devore recruited them and Ara Parseghian and Co., developed them into national champs as 1966 seniors.

Seiler was the 12th pick of the 1967 NFL Draft and Regner — who started on defense as a sophomore in 1964-65 and played both ways in 1965 — was selected 23rd. Tackle Seiler and guard Regner formed one of the most powerful left sides ever at Notre Dame, eclipsed only by the Nelson (left guard) and McGlinchey (left tackle) duo in 2016-17.

Center Goeddeke was a second-team UPI and third-team Associated Press All-American who was drafted in the third round and played six years in the NFL. Swatland was a two-year starting guard who made the Time All-America team and also played in the NFL.

This group checked all the boxes: multiple first-round picks, national title, and quality depth at all positions, with four playing in the NFL.

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