ESPN rates Mike McGlinchey as 64th best player in nation
By Greg Hadley
The preseason hype train continues for senior offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey, who became the first Irish player unveiled in ESPN’s #CFBrank.
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As part of its run-up to the start of college football, ESPN is releasing its rankings of the top 100 players in the nation, 20 players at a time starting yesterday. And while no Irish players were included through No. 100-81, the big left tackle got things started today for Notre Dame at No. 64.
For the full list of players, click here. But if you’re only interested in what they had to say about McGlinchey, here’s the breakdown:
"“The man is a freak: He is 6-foot-7 1/2, 310 pounds and is an immense athlete. McGlinchey played big basketball in high school, and he helped make Notre Dame one of the nation’s top lines last season in his first year starting, at right tackle. Now at left, he is the anchor for what the Irish hope is a repeat performance in the trenches.”"
The Worldwide Leader in Sports also asked its panelists to assign a score, 1-10, to each player based on how much of an impact they expected him to make for his team. McGlinchey graded out at 7.38.
All the hype and expectations surrounding McGlinchey this summer has been extraordinary. The guy went from being a first-year starter on a line full of NFL talent to the guy so quickly. At this point, anything other than outstanding production all year long and a first-round draft pick would be disappointing.
But what’s particularly interesting to me is how McGlinchey has seemingly joined or even leapfrogged Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer in the discussion for best player for the Irish. As the two QBs battle it out for the starting job, McGlinchey has racked up plaudits and preseason watch lists.
In fact, I expect McGlinchey to be the only Irish player in ESPN’s rankings. Brian Kelly has talked about potentially playing both quarterbacks this year, and as good as Kizer and Zaire are, I don’t think ESPN puts them among the 60 best players in the nation when it isn’t clear which one of them will even play.
Surprisingly, if that prediction holds true, Notre Dame will only have one player each in Sports Illustrated’s and ESPN’s top 100 rankings, and it won’t even be the same player. SI rated DeShone Kizer at No. 73 a few weeks back.
Next: Only one Notre Dame player on Sports Illustrated's top 100
For the two biggest sports media outlets to disagree this much is certainly unexpected, and for only one Irish player on a team many expect to enter the season ranked in the top 15 to be on each list is disappointing.