Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Football: Top 10 Players of the Brian Kelly Era

By Jack Leniart

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 07: Jaylon Smith #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates by wearing the hat of team mascot, Lucky The Leprechaun, following their 42-30 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on November 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 07: Jaylon Smith #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates by wearing the hat of team mascot, Lucky The Leprechaun, following their 42-30 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on November 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, IN – AUGUST 31: Stephon Tuitt #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against Cody Booth #76 of the Temple Owls at Notre Dame Stadium on August 31, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Temple 28-6. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

6. Stephon Tuitt, DT

The most accurate description of Stephon Tuitt I’ve seen was on a sign in the crowd during College Gameday before Notre Dame played Stanford in 2012. The sign read: “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 is Stephon Tuitt.”

This 6-6, 312-pound behemoth caught the attention of the coaching staff as soon as he stepped on campus. Tuitt played in nine games as a true freshman — including three starts. He went on to start in every game the following two seasons.

Even more impressive than his sheer size was his athleticism. Tuitt returned a fumble 77 yards for a touchdown in 2012 and made a diving interception for a touchdown in 2013.

Notre Dame football
Tuitt declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year and was selected in the second round. /

5. Mike McGlinchey, OT

McGlinchey is one of the few people that can make Stephon Tuitt seem like a more normal-sized human. The 6-8, 315-pound lineman is the most recent left tackle product to come out of a program that is vying for the title of “O-Line U.”

Like most offensive lineman that go to Notre Dame, McGlinchey redshirted during his freshman year in 2013. The following year he earned playing time on special teams and was given the opportunity to start at right tackle in the Music City Bowl at the end of the season.

McGlinchey earned a starting role leading up to the 2015 season. In 2016, he moved to left tackle to replace Ronnie Stanley and was named a team captain. He returned for his final year of eligibility and served as a team captain again in 2017.

After he earned a starting role, McGlinchey never missed a start. He entered the 2018 NFL Draft and was selected in the first round with the ninth overall pick.

Home/Notre Dame Football