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Notre Dame Football: Is the Offensive Line the Biggest Question Mark in 2018?

By Chase Eyrich

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 28: Josh Adams #33, Alex Bars #71, and Quenton Nelson #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Notre Dame Stadium on October 28, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 28: Josh Adams #33, Alex Bars #71, and Quenton Nelson #56 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Notre Dame Stadium on October 28, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Is the offensive line the biggest question mark for Notre Dame football heading into 2018?

Last season it was clear that the success that the Notre Dame football team’s offense had ran through the gaps that the offensive line provided. It was an experienced line made up of some tremendous talent.

Fast-forward to now, and there are some sizeable holes in the offensive line. Quenton Nelson and Mike McGlinchey anchored the line last season. Both players were selected in the Top 10 picks of the 2018 NFL Draft. Nelson will stay in the State of Indiana after being picked up by the Colts at No. 6 and McGlinchey will continue his career in California, after being selected at No. 9 by the San Francisco 49ers.

We wish them well, as they’ve moved on and now will do their best on Sundays. For now, their departures leave some serious voids up front.

Moving forward, we must remember that Nelson and McGlinchey were irreplaceable talents that most schools are lucky to have had one of. Because of that, it is unrealistic to believe that the offensive line will completely replicate what we saw last season.

That doesn’t mean they won’t have success.

There are still some tremendously talented players on Notre Dame’s offensive line. There are questions as to who will be starting next season, but there are a couple who have already solidified their spots.

We know Sam Mustipher and Alex Bars will be on the field in 2018.

While bringing in previous starting experience, the two fifth-year seniors will need to be the leaders. They will be leading a relatively inexperienced group wih plenty of talent and potential.

There will be a learning curve in the first half of the season with the inexperience. We saw it in the Blue & Gold game. Liam Eichenberg had a couple of false start penalties. It’s something that he will need to clean up before the season begins.

Things can change, but so far it is looking like Brian Kelly and the Irish staff like the lineup of Alex Bars, Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, Sam Mustipher and Tommy Kraemer.

Last season, it looked like Kraemer and Eichenberg were going to be fighting for a starting position. Instead, it was Kraemer and Hainsey splitting time on the field while Eichenberg learned from the sideline. Now, all three will have the opportunity to prove themselves.

Other than that, there’s a good chance that Dillan Gibbons and Trevor Ruhland will be on the sidelines ready to go if called on. Even with the departures of Nelson and McGlinchey, this is still a stacked offensive line.

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Despite the learning curve and the departure of a couple of elite talents, Notre Dame fans shouldn’t be concerned about Notre Dame’s offensive line in 2018.

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