Category: 2023 ND Football

NFL Draft: Are Titans the ‘Perfect Fit’ for Notre Dame’s Joe Alt?

Not just a perfect fit but let’s be real – he’d be a steal here.

The 2024 NFL draft is just weeks away and the countdown is clearly on.

For Notre Dame the question isn’t if offensive tackle Joe Alt will hear his name called early but instead just how early he will hear his name called.

Alt was named an All-American but just about every outlet in 2023 and is projected by nearly everyone to be a top-nine pick this year.  Pro Football Focus put together a mock draft recently based on “perfect player fits” and had Alt going to the Tennessee Titans at No. 7.

From Pro Football Focus:

Enter Joe Alt, a gargantuan 6-foot-8 and 322-pound tackle who just recently turned 21 years old after two elite seasons of earning overall grades above 90.0 at Notre Dame. Alt allowed just eight total quarterback pressures and one sack over the past two seasons on nearly 800 pass-blocking reps. In addition, Alt is an incredibly smooth mover for his size, earning a zone run-blocking grade above 90.0 in 2023 to boot.

The left-side combination of Alt and 2023 first-round left guard Peter Skoronski could develop into one of the more formidable sides of an offensive line in the NFL. Levis needs to get his pressure-to-sack rate down and not look for the home run on every single throw, but he can stand more confidently in the pocket with this final addition to an offensive line quickly turning around.

The Titans have perhaps no greater need this off-season than left tackle and Alt looks the part of one who will anchor the left side of an offensive line for the better part of the next decade.

Personally, I think if he’s available at seven for the Titans that it’s not just a perfect fit but could very well be the steal of the draft at that spot.

Notre Dame Must Fix This Issue To Contend In ’24

Where Notre Dame needs to clear things up in 2024 to be playing in the CFP…

Notre Dame is certainly trending in the right direction as we’ve turned the calendar to 2024. Marcus Freeman is finding his footing as the head man, the assisting staff instills confidence on both sides of the ball, and the roster has a nice blend of veterans and young talent. The Irish fully intends to make a real run in the inaugural 12-team expanded CFP.

With this framework in mind, I start to think hard about what hurdles there may be for Notre Dame as they try and truly make some noise next season. One of these challenges is how the Irish performed in true road contests in 23′. Not well. Slow starts. Sluggish play. Not able to match the emotion of the home squad. This trend led directly to two losses and almost a third, ruining the high-end prospects of the season.

Let’s examine the evidence of this issue and what may be causing it.

Notre Dame football: Audric Estime photo gallery

Big Dric!

It’s been a very long time since Notre Dame was looked at as perhaps having the best running back in college football.  That was the case in 2023 however with Audric Estime.

Estime made numerous different All-American teams in 2023 after rushing for 1,341 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per carry in what wound up being his final season in South Bend.

Estime also rushed for 18 touchdowns on the year, the most ever in a single season by a Notre Dame running back – and he did so despite sitting out of the Sun Bowl.

Before he gets drafted this coming April, take a look back at one of the most impressive rushers in the history of Notre Dame football below:

Watch: Urban Meyer shares memory of coaching at Notre Dame

Urban Meyer is back to the grind at Notre Dame this weekend

With Fox Sports in town with “Big Noon Kickoff” for the first time this weekend, a few familiar faces that don’t often make it to South Bend have come along.

One of those is former national champion football coach Urban Meyer who is back on the panel.  Meyer spent from 1996-2000 as Notre Dame’s wide receivers coach, spending 1996 with Lou Holtz.

Meyer shared a story detailing what it was like to coach alongside Holtz during Lou’s final game at Notre Dame Stadium back in 1996.  He also shares an example of why he liked recruiting at Notre Dame as well.  Check it out below.

A couple of things to get straight, however:

  • Notre Dame beat Rutgers 62-0 in Holtz’s final game at Notre Dame Stadium
  • Notre Dame has seven Heisman Trophy winners

Still pretty cool stuff regardless of some details being slightly off.

Who wins? Notre Dame-USC staff predictions

Notre Dame standout in top-five of latest College Sports Wire mock draft

Which team do you want to draft Alt?

At this point it is just a matter of time until Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt becomes a first round pick.  Some think he’ll be a top-10 pick and some think he could be even higher.

Like say, fourth overall.

That’s where the latest College Sports Wire Post Wild-Card edition of their mock draft has Alt going to the Arizona Cardinals.  Here is what the staff, headed by Patrick Conn, had to say about Arizona Alt:

It doesn’t feel like the Arizona Cardinals are ready to give up on quarterback Kyler Murray at this point, with that said the team needs to give him some help. Joe Alt helps in that regard as he can protect his blindside and keep him upright. – Patrick Conn

Alt would certainly fit that mold if the goal is to protect Kyler Murray or whoever ends up being the quarterback he plays with.  I’d put Alt pretty near the elite territory in terms of pass blocking and plenty skilled in run blocking but feel he could improve a bit there as his body type doesn’t make run blocking the easiest of things.

See the entire Post Wild-Card Mock Draft by Conn and company here, including their surprising first overall pick.

Notre Dame football: Hilarious TV viewership tweet

Yeah, everyone was tuned in to see THEM!

I have combined with Wayne Gretzky to score 894 career goals in the NHL.

I have combined with Emmitt Smith to rush for 18,355 yards in an NFL uniform.

And along with LeBron James, I have combined to score 38,652 points in NBA games.

I say that to point out the social media post that Duke football put out when viewership numbers for last weekend’s thrilling contest with Notre Dame were released.  Obviously a primetime game going down to the wire was going to attract eye balls and it did exactly that.

Take a look at the numbers below that are included in the Duke tweet.

Whatever makes you feel better, I guess.

Notre Dame Football: Best Offensive Players of 2023 Ranked 1-15

Which grades surprise you the most?

Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 goes down as one of the most successful in program history by a numbers standpoint.  By a viewers standpoint they were also towards the top of the list of being the most frustrating we’ve ever seen.

Great against poor competition while seemingly unprepared for the likes of Ohio State, Louisville, and Clemson.

So from a completely emotion-less perspective, who had the best seasons on Notre Dame’s offense?  And who left a decent amount to be desired?

Pro Football Focus has their grades for Notre Dame’s entire roster for 2023.  We went through and found the 15 offensive players they ranked the highest for their performances in 2023.  See who made the top 15 below.

Players included in this top 15 had to have played a minimum of 100 snaps on offense in 2023.

Notre Dame Football: Estime Top Pro Football Focus Running Back Rankings for 2023

A truly GREAT year for #7!

Now that the 2023 season has completely come to an end its a good time to look back at the year that was.

For Notre Dame, that meant a return to having a truly elite college running back.

Yes, Notre Dame has had some really good backs in recent years but it’s difficult to put any in quite some time in the same level of [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] in 2023.  Estime was the lead-back for the Irish and ran for over 1,300 yards, a number that could have threatened 1,500 if he were to have gotten 2-3 more carries a game.

Just how good was Estime in 2023?  Pro Football Focus released their top-10 graded running backs across college football for the year and you can see for yourself just how well he stacked up.

Tommy Rees update in regards to Alabama opening

Roll Tommy?

Thursday we saw news that former Notre Dame quarterback and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees had interviewed for the head coach opening at Alabama.

In the early hours of Friday morning he remains a possibility to be the next head coach but certainly doesn’t appear to be a favorite.

The following is from a 247Sports report by Brandon Marcello:

The names to watch heading into Friday at Alabama are Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, Florida State’s Mike Norvell and Tide offensive coordinator Tommy Rees,sources told 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello earlier Thursday.

Rees is viewed as a long-shot.

Rees is only 31 and I’d still be shocked if he ends up getting the job.  My money remains on Lane Kiffin until we hear otherwise, but if Alabama wanted to do the Duke basketball type thing and have Saban still oversee things in a big way but have a younger coach, then Rees becomes what Jon Scheyer does for the Blue Devils.

Just thinking out loud.  Stay tuned as there could be major movement in regards to the next Alabama head coach today.

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Former Notre Dame commitment to transfer from Michigan

Should Notre Dame circle back here?

Less than a week after being a part of Michigan‘s first national championship team since 1997, a former Notre Dame commitment is entering the transfer portal.

[autotag]Amorion Walker[/autotag] was a Notre Dame commitment in the 2022 recruiting class where he was set to play wide receiver.  He flipped his commitment to Michigan late in the process and ultimately switched to cornerback.

Walker battled an undisclosed injury this year and didn’t see the field much for the Wolverines, playing in just five games.

Walker starred at Ponchatoula High School in Louisiana before heading to the Midwest for college.

Will Notre Dame circle back here?  With the switch to defensive back I wouldn’t assume so but certainly worth at least keeping an eye on.

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