Notre Dame offensive line tops Pro Football Focus rankings

Even with the departure of Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin, Notre Dame will boast an impressive offensive line in 2016. But will it be the best unit in the nation?

Pro Football Focus certainly thinks so, as the Fighting Irish topped the site’s ranking of college O-lines released Monday. Citing the talents of senior Mike McGlinchey and junior Quenton Nelson, PFF proclaimed Notre Dame to be a “dominant group.”

Related Story: Top OL recruit chooses Notre Dame

That assessment is pretty much in line with PFF’s ranking of the top 101 players in college football from two weeks ago, in which McGlinchey was rated 36th and Nelson 94th. Only nine offensive linemen made the list, and Notre Dame was the only program with two players.

Somewhat surprisingly though, Nelson was snubbed last week when the watch list for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top interior lineman, was released. Fifty-three other lineman were recognized ahead of Nelson, including three from USC, two from Michigan and two from Michigan State. (It is worth noting that McGlinchey made the list.)

So what gives? Why is PFF so high on the Irish when the Outland committee, made up of the Football Writers Association of America, is relatively cool?

The answer is twofold. For one, PFF places a great deal of stock in its own rating system. It’s subjective and rather intense (full explanation here), but the end result is a grade out of 100, and Nelson and McGlinchey both scored very well.

Secondly, PFF likes Notre Dame offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, and with good reason. Since Heistand joined Brian Kelly’s staff in 2012, four Irish linemen have been selected within the first three rounds of the NFL draft and Notre Dame has become one the premier destinations for OL recruits.

More from Notre Dame Football

• PointsBet Promo: Bet $50, Win an Official Jersey at Fanatics!
• Notre Dame vs NC State: How to watch, odds, injuries, series history and more
• Caesars Indiana Sign-Up Promo: Win $250 GUARANTEED Bonus Betting on Notre Dame This Week!
• FanDuel + DraftKings Indiana Promos: Bet $10 on Notre Dame, Win $400 Bonus GUARANTEED!
• New Caesars + DraftKings Indiana Promos: $450 GUARANTEED Bonus Backing Notre Dame vs. Navy!

But before anyone builds a statue in Heistand’s honor, let’s look at the stats. There have been some standout seasons, to be sure, but Notre Dame’s strong offensive line has produced some pretty uneven results over the past few years.

In the past three seasons, the Irish have ranked inside the top 50 in the FBS for rushing yards per game once. When it comes to sacks allowed, Notre Dame was an iron wall in 2013, allowing just eight all year, but has since regressed, permitting 54 over the past two years. The numbers are roughly equivalent for tackles for loss as well.

There’s no questioning the fact that Heistand has developed some standout linemen over the past few seasons, and the statistics mentioned above are certainly not a perfect indication of how well the offensive line was playing at the time.

But it’s not as though the Irish have not had the talent in the backfield necessary. And it’s not as though Kelly and Heistand have never had to blow things up and start over.

Speaking of starting over, 2016 is likely to be an interesting one for the Notre Dame’s offensive line. Stanley and Martin are in the NFL, and another 2015 starter, Steve Elmer, announced in February that he would not be returning to the program despite having a year of eligibility left.

That leaves Nelson and McGlinchey as the only two remaining starters left. The new guys (Alex Bars, Sam Mustipher, Hunter Bivin and Tristan Hoge) all have some experience, but there’s a lot of slack to pick up, and it’s pretty bold on PFF’s part to predict the learning curve will be gentle enough to allow this to be the best unit in the country.

Next: Notre Dame Football: Offensive Line Looks Good For 2016

Bottom line, I expect the Irish offensive line to be as good as it has been the past couple years, with star players like McGlinchey and Nelson anchoring things up front. But to think it will be the best in college football is a tad much and may give some Irish fans unrealistic expectations.