Notre Dame's Mike McGlinchey says he still plans to return in 2017

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame left tackle Mike McGlinchey has about three months until he has to make a decision about his football future, but for now, the redshirt junior captain said he intends to return for a fifth year.

Answering a question about his recruiting process, McGlinchey said Wednesday that he entered college with a five-year plan, and he hasn't deviated from that mindset.

"I have 19 games left here and that's what I fully intend to take on," McGlinchey said. "I have a lot left to learn. I'm not ready to go anywhere. I have the best in the business coaching me [offensive line coach Harry Hiestand] each and every day, and it's to my benefit to stay here and learn from and there's nothing that I can do to want to change that. I have no intention of wanting to change that.

"I've played a lot of football so far, but I have a lot left to accomplish and I'm not going to put myself in position to go somewhere when I'm not full ready to. I'm fully confident that I will be ready at some point, but I don't think it will be after this season."

Scouts Inc.'s Todd McShay lists McGlinchey as the No. 22 overall prospect on his latest draft board, which was released two weeks ago.

McGlinchey was asked whether his intentions for next season may change should his stock rise like that of his predecessor, Ronnie Stanley, who was picked sixth overall by the Baltimore Ravens in this year's NFL draft.

"I don't know, I don't really pay attention to all that," McGlinchey said. "It's not going to come down to a projection for me. It's going to come down to a mindset and a look in the mirror of whether or not I'm ready to go. And based off of what I'm feeling now, I'm pretty confident that I'll be back here for a fifth year, and it's not any major decision, groundbreaking decision. I fully intended to do that when I first got to college.

"Like I said, I have so much left to learn here and it's not going to come down to projections or potential money that I can make. If I'm good enough at the point where I feel ready to do it, I'll do it, and those projections will become reality at some point when it's my time to be ready to do that."

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound McGlinchey is in his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, having played right tackle last season. He saw time in all 13 games as a redshirt freshman, too, and is a first cousin of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

McGlinchey is the third Notre Dame player in the past four years to say in-season that he plans to return to school for another year, but both previous players to say that -- defensive end Stephon Tuitt in 2013 and receiver Will Fuller in 2015 -- ended up declaring for the draft after those respective seasons.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer, who is McShay's No. 1 quarterback and No. 18 overall prospect, spoke after McGlinchey on Wednesday but wouldn't entertain draft questions when pressed, saying his focus is on this season.

"If you know me you know that that's the last thing I want to talk about," Kizer said. "The circle that I keep close to me knows that those conversations aren't going to happen till they need to."