Quenton Nelson Blocks Out The Noise — And Anything Else
It’s been 24 years since Notre Dame last had a first-team All-America selection at guard. That was junior Aaron Taylor in 1992 — prior to moving to tackle the next season, winning the Lombardi Award and becoming a first-round selection.
That drought might be on the threshold of ending if former five-star recruit and current junior Quenton Nelson lives up to what head coach Brian Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand project for his future. The shift of senior Mike McGlinchey from right tackle to left was made this spring so he can team with left guard Nelson on what could be the nation’s finest left side of the line.
“Those two players are really good — really, really good,” Kelly emphasized. “Mike's been our most efficient blocker and Quenton is in the best physical shape he's been in, moves extremely well for 346 pounds, and he's a rare, rare, rare football player. He moves well, physically strong. Knows his assignments. We're very, very fortunate.”
Other than the 346 pounds part — Nelson is more so in the 330 range — Hiestand, not one to hand much plaudits to individuals, concurs with Kelly.
“His size and strength and toughness are exceptional,” said the 35-year coaching veteran Hiestand, who admits that Nelson could be mistaken for a robust 350-pounder. “What I like best is how important it is to him to be successful. His attitude and his pride about getting his job done is really a super quality that he manifests. He is just so hungry to get it done and wants to be such a great teammate.
“That’s why you have those kind of feelings about a guy, because you know you can count on him every day. He’s going to lay it on the line for this football team.”
Nelson prefers to “block out” everything else, including conversation about his enormous football ceiling. A year ago, McGlinchey and Nelson were the newbies along a line that featured top two or three NFL prospects at their respective positions — left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Nick Martin (the players Nelson lined up between) — and right guard Steve Elmer, who would start 30 games in his career before graduating early.
A sprained ankle suffered at Clemson on Oct. 3 sidelined Nelson the next week against Navy, but by the end of the season he had established himself as a future linchpin on the team.
“I have a year of experience under my belt and it’s definitely been helping me with seeing defenses and different alignments of defenders, being able to anticipate what they’re going to do,” Nelson said. “My technique has gotten a lot better.
“I learned from Nick and Ronnie how to lead this offensive line. Mike has definitely been the leader and doing a great job with it. … They were so smart, confident and calm in making calls. When I missed a block, they were able to regroup me and get me focused on the play. I’ve been able to do that for other people on the offensive line and just help with the tempo, getting set, ready for the next play.”
Nelson acknowledges his own expectation is to not merely just contribute but become the best nationally at his craft. Yet he also is already is mirroring the guarded approach of his mentor, Hiestand.
“We can be very good, we can be very bad,” Nelson summarized of the 2016 offensive line. “It’s all up to us and how hard we work.”
Playing for Hiestand, Nelson said there are no issues when it comes to consistent attitude toward competition and mental toughness.
“His attention to detail in the meeting rooms and on the field are second to none,” Nelson said. “He helps me be the best player I can be every day and he brings it 100 percent every day. It just motivates the players to also bring what he’s bringing.
“I just like to get after defenders and do my job to the best of my ability, block my man and not be the guy that lets down the offensive line and the offense.”
Not everyone is ready to handle Hiestand’s hard coaching style, but the approach is ideally tailored to Nelson’s personal makeup.
“I think I take it very well,” he said. “I do my best not to do whatever makes him coach you hard. Make as few mistakes as possible and not repeat them. Just do what he says and it works out for me.”
Anything else is blocked out, in more ways than one.