Notre Dame already had to replace two stalwarts on the offensive line heading into the 2016 season. The decision by Steve Elmer to end his career early and pursue his political career a year early on Tuesday pushed that number to three leaving the Irish with just two returning starters next season.
Before jumping into just how Notre Dame replaces Elmer – on top of replacing Ronnie Stanley and Nick Martin – let’s give a quick tip of the hat to Elmer for making what could not have been an easy decision and another for even having that type of decision to make.