Irish, linemen reap rewards of extended stays

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Harry Hiestand is used to his offensive linemen deferring an opportunity to enter the NFL draft so they can instead spend another http://www.officialvikingshop.com/shop-by-players-jeff-locke-jersey... season with him.
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Zack Martin, the 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, elected to stay for a fifth year. The sixth overall pick last April, Ronnie Stanley, chose to return, too, after contemplating his future after his junior season.
The trend continued this offseason when left guard Quenton Nelson and left tackle Mike McGlinchey opted to return, a decision that means the Irish's offensive line is almost entirely intact from last season.
Part of the reason Hiestand believes offensive linemen maxing out there time at ND has become a trend is because of the tight-knit nature of the position group.
"He loved playing football at Notre Dame," Hiestand said of Martin. "He loved offensive line and his brother (Nick Martin) was here. (Chris) Watt's likeJordan Berry Youth Jersey a brother to him, too, and that's how these guys kind of get. They get very close to each other. They really care about each other, but they do, they have a special feeling for this university and guys don't always want that to end."
Making the decision to return requires players to take a big-picture approach rather than focusing on the opportunity to cash in on the NFL a year early.
"We know there's a lot of life ahead," Hiestand said, "but sometimes when they think smart they realize they'll have plenty of times to do those other things and this is a brief part of your life that you have here."
In the case of Zack and Nick Martin, five years wasn't enough.
The Indianapolis natives appeared together at practices in late March, taking the Irish's younger linemen under their wing in between drills.
"They love sitting in the meetings and watching the film and just kind of being part of it," Hiestand said. "It's great to see that they're willing to give back their time.
"They can't help themselves (from coaching players). More encouragement and keep fighting and those kinds of things as opposed to the technical part, but just encouraging them. Both those guys always had an awesome demeanor every dayhttp://www.authentic49ersshop.com/shop-by-players-cornellius-carrad... they were here."
By watching the Martin brothers, players are able to take away some valuable lessons.
"No matter how bad they felt you could never look at a Martin and go, 'He doesn't feel good today,'" Hiestand said. "It's a great lesson for these players that you can't let your opponent see that they got you a little bit. They know your ankle's hurting, your shoulder's hurting, you don't feel good. Those two are one of the best examples in college I've ever had. That alone is great because they just pop in."
Zack Martin, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, reaped the rewards of returning to ND for a fifth year. McGlinchey has already benefited from the Irish's improved strength and conditioning program, and Hiestand expects the fifth-year senior to further increase his appeal to NFL scouts by cutting down on a plethora of false starts he was penalized for last season.
Playing on an offensive line with four returning starters is essential to cutting down on penalties, Hiestand said.
"It wasn't as much (moving from right tackle to left tackle) as playing around guys that hadn't played a lot," Hiestand said of McGlinchey's false starts. "Just having an incredible desire and determination to do well and to help others do well. Mike's big thing is he's always trying to get everything to work and he kind of forgets Terrance Williams Authentic Jersey about himself sometimes.
"Really, it was not sides as much of trying to do much and trying to make sure everybody else is squared away and boom, he pops early. He's been much better with that this spring and that won't be an issue down the road. It was a product of that."