Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME 16 PRESEASON 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Jon Gallagher — Soccer The former Irish forward (2014-16) turned standout defender for Austin FC appeared in his first-ever Major League Soccer All-Star Game July 18. The Dundalk, Ireland, native was one of 12 players on the roster selected by a combination of fan, me- dia and MLS player voting. Through Aug. 7, Gallagher had played in 23 games with 20 starts for Austin FC, and tallied 5 goals and 4 assists. Hannah Hidalgo — Basketball The freshman guard from Haddonfield, N.J., was a critical member of the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup team that claimed a gold medal July 23 in Madrid, Spain. In the championship game, she recorded 9 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Hidalgo's final steal came with nine seconds remaining in the game, seal- ing the 69-66 win for Team USA, while earning her All Star 5 honors for the tournament. Tommy Janton — Swimming & Diving The rising sophomore from Kennett Square, Pa., earned the opportunity to compete in the backstroke events at the Summer World University Games Aug. 1-7 in Chengdu, China. Janton, who was the ACC Rookie of the Year this past season, finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 50 and 200 backstroke at the Phillips 66 National Championships in July. Jadin O'Brien — Track & Field The senior from Pewaukee, Wis., was tabbed as the Women's Track Scholar Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in July. She won the national championship in the pentathlon during the in- door season and took seventh in the heptathlon at the outdoor championship meet to earn All-America accolades. This summer, O'Brien finished sixth in the hep- tathlon with a personal-best 5,960 points at the 2023 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships in July at Eugene, Ore. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Notre Dame junior offensive tackle Joe Alt is the fifth-best player in college football this season. The only players ranked higher than Alt are USC quarterback Ca- leb Williams, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Ohio State wide re- ceiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michigan running back Blake Corum. The only other Notre Dame player on the list was sophomore cor- nerback Benjamin Morrison, who came in at No. 30. "As a sophomore in 2022, Alt led all tackles with a 91.4 grade and a 91.0 run-blocking grade," PFF college football analyst Max Chadwick said. "He also tied for fifth among FBS tackles with a 99.0 pass-block efficiency score. He also has elite bloodlines as the son of Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer John Alt." PFF sees clear separation between Alt and the two next-best offensive tackles on the board. Penn State redshirt junior Olu Fashanu was 14th overall on their list, while Alabama junior JC Latham was No. 28. Alt has started 21 straight games since his freshman season, anchoring an Irish line that helped its three primary running backs combine for 5.2 yards per carry in 2022. He earned first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press, PFF, CBS Sports, Action Network and ESPN as a sophomore. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH WITH SAM HARTMAN, EXPECT A MORE AGGRESSIVE NOTRE DAME OFFENSE Notre Dame graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman's average depth of target in 2022 was 12.8 yards, which led college football among all qualified passers. It was his career high at Wake Forest, but not by much. Hartman just beat his 2021 average depth of target of 12.7, and his lowest mark since his freshman year was 11.7. Watching his tape, Hartman didn't constantly throw deep because his receivers were always five steps ahead of the nearest defender. He threw deep because he trusted those receivers to make plays, and perhaps more im- portantly, he trusted himself to put the ball in a spot where they could get it. The former Demon Deacon's aggressive play style comes with drawbacks — he threw 26 intercep- tions over the past two seasons. However, it's worth noting the reward that comes with the risk. In pass plays of 10 or more yards, Wake Forest ranked eighth in the country with 164 this past sea- son. In pass plays of 20 or more yards, the Demon Deacons tied for No. 17, and at 30 or more yards they were tied for No. 10. Studies have shown that explosive plays create points at a far greater rate than slow, methodical drives, and Hartman produced them at a top-10 rate two years in a row (Wake Forest ranked similarly in 2021). Notre Dame fans should also remember what came before Hartman: Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne, who combined for an average depth of target of 8.4 yards. Buchner's individual rate was 9.8, but Pyne's mark of 8.0 in a much greater sample size heavily weighted the total. How did the Irish fare in creat- ing big plays? No. 78 in 10-yard passes, No. 44 in 20-yard passes and No. 39 in 30-yard passes. Hartman will have the Irish playing a more exciting brand of football than they played this past season, and history shows that ex- citing football is winning football. — Jack Soble Pro Football Focus listed junior left tackle Joe Alt as the fifth- best player in college football heading into the 2023 season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER COLLEGE FOOTBALL 2022 AVERAGE DEPTH OF TARGET LEADERS Via Pro Football Focus, minimum 328 dropbacks Rk. Player School ADOT 1. Sam Hartman Wake Forest 12.8 2. Gavin Hardison UTEP 12.0 Austin Aune North Texas 12.0 4. Darren Grainger Georgia State 11.7 Hendon Hooker Tennessee 11.7 6. Anthony Richardson Florida 11.5 7. Dequan Finn Toledo 11.0 8. Jordan Travis Florida State 10.8 9. J.J. McCarthy Michigan 10.7 Chase Brice Appalachian State 10.7 C.J. Stroud Ohio State 10.7 T-62 Tyler Buchner/Drew Pyne Notre Dame 8.4 PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS' TOP FIVE PLAYERS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL Rk. Player Position School 1. Caleb Williams QB USC 2. Brock Bowers TE Georgia 3. Marvin Harrison Jr. WR Ohio State 4. Blake Corum RB Michigan 5. Joe Alt OT Notre Dame