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

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

5. Mike McGlinchey, OT, 2014-17

Mike McGlinchey was the left tackle who replaced Ronnie Stanley in the long line of succession of great tackles at Notre Dame. He’d have two years to start at left tackle, with a year and change at right tackle before making the shift to the left side of the field.

In 2017, as a redshirt senior, McGlinchey would be named an All-American on an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line in the country.

McGlinchey was a two-time team captain at Notre Dame who was a finalist for multiple awards, like the Maxwell, Outland, and Lombardi awards. Many considered McGlinchey the best offensive tackle in the country when he was ready to make the jump to the NFL, and he certainly has been as good as advertised at the next level.

He would be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1st round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the same draft that saw teammate Quenton Nelson go No. 6 overall. With McGlinchey going No. 9, the Irish had two offensive linemen in the top-10 of that draft, an incredible accomplishment for Brian Kelly and his staff.