Notre Dame football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame Football OT Ronnie Stanley. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

6. Ronnie Stanley, OT, 2012-15

It’s not easy to be the guy who replaces the guy, but that’s just what Ronnie Stanley did when he moved from right tackle to left tackle to replace Zack Martin. Luckily, he dominated the left side of the field. In 2013, as a right tackle, he was a bookend with Martin on a line that allowed the second-fewest sacks in the country.

In 2014, the year he replaced Martin, he only allowed one sack on the season, and as a senior, he only allowed three sacks and was named an All-American. Throughout his career, Stanley was an anchor along the offensive line for Brian Kelly, carrying on the tradition of this team being “O-Line U.”

After being a dominant left tackle for Notre Dame, Stanley left to enter the 2016 NFL Draft where the Baltimore Ravens took him with the No. 6 overall selection in the first round. He was an All-Pro talent in 2019 and has been described as the best pass-blocking tackle in the NFL.

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