Aaron Taylor: Best Offensive Lineman in Notre Dame History

Stellar offensive linemen have been a constant throughout the Notre Dame football program’s history. Of all the great past and present Irish offensive lineman, Aaron Taylor stands alone as the best to ever do it.

We continue our “Best Players in Notre Dame History” series by taking a look at the big boys up front. The offensive line pedigree of Notre Dame is considered one of the best in college football — and for good reason. The recent success of players like Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey, and Quenton Nelson has aptly given the Irish the current title of “Oline-U.”

However, even with the dominant play of the players just listed, none of these names made the cut when it came to crowning the best hog molly in Fighting Irish history.

That title goes to Aaron Taylor.

I was unfortunately too young to see Taylor play in a golden helmet, but the legacy he left behind was one that makes it hard not to know who he is. Taylor was an old-school monster in the trenches whose style of play was that of a true road-grader.

At 6-4, 305 pounds, Taylor’s athletic ability and talent was apparent early on in his career. In the memorable 1991 Sugar Bowl where the Irish shocked Florida 39-28, Jerome Bettis punched in two of his three touchdowns behind the blocking of the monster sophomore right guard.

Over his final two seasons, Taylor would go on to garner All-American honors at two separate positions. As a junior in 1992, Taylor was a consensus All-American guard and followed it up with a unanimous first-team All-American selection in 1993 as a senior offensive tackle.

Taylor modeled consistency, and his production on the field did was hard to overlook. Starting the final 30 straight games of his career, he helped pave the way for an Irish run game that averaged 275 yards per game and tallied 71 rushing touchdowns from 1992-1993.

As a senior and team caption in 1993, Taylor also won the Lombardi Award — given to best college football player regardless of position — based on performance, leadership, character, and resiliency.

Many will point to Quenton Nelson as the greatest offensive lineman to ever strap it up for the Irish, and I certainly get the argument. There are actually many similarities between Nelson and Taylor.

Both were high-profile recruits who were recruited by arguably the two greatest offensive line coaches in Irish history (Joe Moore and Harry Hiestand). Each were snubbed of the Outland Trophy during their careers, yet were unanimous All-Americans. Both were also first round draft picks, with Taylor going to the Green Bay Packers with the 16th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft and Nelson going to the Indianapolis Colts with the 6th pick last year.

Most importantly, they each had similar playing styles in that you felt sorry for whoever was lined up across from them on Saturdays in the fall.

So why does Taylor get the edge? Well, for starters, he did it first. He was the first face of Irish offensive line excellence. Additionally, Taylor was the total package who excelled at two different positions and was the anchor for one of the best stretches of Notre Dame football in the last three decades, going 40-8 with two Cotton Bowl victories and a Sugar Bowl victory from 1990-1993.

There are plenty of deserving names that could have been picked for this title, but Aaron Taylor is the Greatest Of All Time when it comes to the Notre Dame offensive line.

Honorable Mentions:

• Quenton Nelson: a close second behind Taylor, Big Q finished his career as a unanimous All-American and was one of the most hyped-up interior offensive lineman in recent NFL Draft memory. He finished his rookie season as a Pro-Bowler and first-team All-Pro.
• Zack Martin: An all-time Irish fan favorite, Martin never missed a start in his Irish career, setting a school record with 52 starts under his belt when it was all said and done. He was a two-time team captain that has gone on to become a first-team All-Pro three times in his young NFL career.
• George Connor: An underrated player in this discussion, Connor was a two-time consensus All-American, the first ever winner of the Outland Trophy, a team captain, and two-time National Champion for the Irish. He never lost a game at Notre Dame and is a member of both the College Football and NFL Hall of Fames.

Others Considered:

• Jeff Faine, Sam Young, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey

Do you agree? Why or why not? Check out @SlapTheSign on Twitter to cast your vote as to who you think is the best Irish offensive lineman of all-time!