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Learn about Alex Bars and Quenton Nelson

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Oct 2, 2009
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Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 316 pounds.
2014 Statistics: Did not play.
Class (Eligibility Remaining): Sophomore (4).
Place On Depth Chart: T-No. 1 left guard.

Spring Summary

Alex Bars spent spring practice battling with fellow redshirt freshmanQuenton Nelson for the starting spot at left guard position. It’s the only position on the offensive line where the eventual starter hasn’t appeared in a game. But if Irish head coach Brian Kelly’s prediction is correct, it won’t matter which lineman finishes August at the top of the depth chart.

“(…) You turn on the film and to me, it’s going to be hard to make a call because you like what they both do at that position,” Kelly said. “They’ll have to both play. They’re going to have to get in the game. And it might be that Bars plays some tackle too. If he’s the guard he’s the guard.

“We don’t see (Nelson) as a tackle right now. But they’re just guys that are going to have to play. They’re both going to see some playing time.”

Bars received significant praise from his head coach during Notre Dame’s bowl preparation in December. The former four-star prospect’s technical ability impressed Kelly enough that he warned Notre Dame’s other linemen: Keep your foot on the gas, because Bars is coming.

“He's one of the best I've seen in 25 years,” Kelly said in late December. “He's that good. Those guys ought to be nervous about whose job he's going to take. He's that good of a player."

The two alternated days with the first-team offensive line during spring football but neither managed to pick up enough of an edge to be named starter. The competition is so close that it looks unlikely decision involving the starting left guard will be made at the beginning of fall camp. Bars didn’t win the job during spring football, but he should view the spring as a win: he’s now in a position where playing time is inevitable.

Fall Outlook

When fall camp begins in early August, Bars and Nelson will pick up where they left off on in the spring. Obviously the best result for Bars would involve winning the starting job at left guard, but his hope of seeing the field doesn’t end if he loses the competition with Nelson.

Kelly said both he and Nelson will play at left guard—though in what capacity the backup plays remains unclear—and unlike his competition, Bars projects as a tackle too. He could ultimately beat out Mark Harrell or Hunter Bivin for a No. 2 role at either tackle position and see time in a reserve role.

Kelly and offensive line coach Harry Hiestand want the best offensive lineman to play. And even if Nelson ends up as the starting left guard, it’s difficult to make the case Bars won’t see time based on the Irish head coach’s comments in the spring.

Remember this?

Bars, a four-star prospect from Montgomery Bell (Tenn.) Academy, played in the Under Armour All-America game and was rated as the No. 107 player nationally in the 2013 recruiting class.

What They’re Saying

"He’s just a smart player. He finds himself, he’s in the right spot. It just comes naturally to him. He knows football, he understands it, which is a huge advantage, especially being a younger player." – Fifth-year senior center Nick Martin



Height/Weight: 6-foot-4½, 325 pounds.
2014 Statistics: Did not play.
Class (Eligibility Remaining): Sophomore (4).
Place On Depth Chart: T-No. 1 left guard.

Spring Summary

New Jersey native Quenton Nelson redshirted in 2014 and went through spring ball competing with Alex Bars for the starting position at left guard. A frontrunner hasn’t emerged from the talented duo, but a positive sign for offensive line coach Harry Hiestand is how the two are handling it.

“It’s fun. It’s all positive, because they actually root for each other,” Hiestand said. “(…) Alex is up there in pass rush and Quenton is yelling, ‘He’s wide! He’s wide!’ And I love that, and that’s what I want. We’re going to compete our butts off and in the end we’re going to play the best players, and they understand that.

“And they want the team to win so they make it that way. If everybody was surly and always kicking the other guy when he wasn’t looking or something then it wouldn’t be as much fun.”

Bars’ strength is his technical ability, while Nelson is a bruising force. Fifth-year senior center Nick Martin described Nelson as a, “mauler,” and he looks the part with his 6-foot-4½, 325-pound frame. Nelson is 24 pounds heavier than Martin, who started at left guard in 2014, and his run-blocking ability would suit the backfield well. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly believes where he improved the most in spring football was in his pass protection.

“We know if you put a guy in front of him, he's going to win a one-on-one matchup,” Kelly said. “It's movement, it's the ability to move and adjust when you've got games and slant and angles and things of that nature where if it's in front of him, he's going to knock that guy out.

“It's the ability to move and redirect, because Alex Bars is really good at that, he's really nimble and moves his feet well. We wanted to see Nelson continue to improve and that's where he's gotten better each and every week. I think…his greatest improvement through this spring has been in pass protection more than anything else and picking up line games.”

Fall Outlook

Unlike Bars, the Notre Dame coaching staff doesn’t project Nelson as a potential tackle – at least not for the time being. Nelson and Bars will continue to compete for the starting role at left guard in August, and it’s a race that’s too close to call at the moment. Needless to say, both redshirt freshmen will see playing time on the offensive line this fall, and for Nelson, that would be at guard. The competition at left guard is one of the key position battles to keep an eye on in August, but either way the Irish will be starting a talented, inexperienced young lineman.

Remember this?

The Red Bank (N.J) Catholic graduate was the fifth-ranked offensive tackle in the class of 2014.

What They’re Saying

“He’s a big dude. He can really maul people. He likes to get after it.” – Fifth-year senior center Nick Martin
 
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