Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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30 JUNE/JULY 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE W hen the Chargers drafted Joe Alt fifth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, they picked him over two potential super- stars at wide receiver. In LSU's Malik Nabers (who went No. 6 overall to the Giants) and Washington's Rome Odunze (No. 9 to the Bears), Los Angeles could have added a much-needed offensive weapon. The way Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh sees it, though, they did. "I know the questions are gonna come up and you're gonna say, 'What about a weapon?'" Harbaugh said April 25, shortly after drafting Alt. "Offensive linemen, we look at as weapons." H a rba u g h wa n ts to co n t ro l t h e trenches in the NFL the way he did at Michigan, where he won the 2023 na- tional championship with dominant of- fensive and defensive lines. For his first big splash after returning to the NFL, though, he looked toward Notre Dame. The Chargers are all in on Alt, and its new regime made him the highest- drafted Fighting Irish player since the Seahawks took Rick Mirer second over- all in 1993. "We feel like we got a guy who's gonna come in and really improve our team," Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said. "He's big, he's physical, he's tough, smart, durable. Outstanding player in college who's just scratching the surface." The Chargers drafted Alt knowing his position would become a question mark. They needed an offensive tackle op- posite Rashawn Slater, their 2021 first- round pick who has met expectations and is very much a part of Harbaugh's and Hortiz's vision. Slater is a left tackle, though, and that's the side Alt manned for the Irish. Moving Alt to right tackle is on the table, his new coach and GM said, but so is flipping Slater to the right side. However, Alt's fit with Harbaugh and Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman's style of play is not up for de- bate. Harbaugh has employed Roman at multiple stops for his multi-faceted, gap-style run scheme. In a broader sense, he wants his O-line to set the tone for his entire team. "I think the thing I love about the of- fensive line is you get to hit somebody every single play," Alt said in his first press conference as a Charger April 26. "You don't have a play off. You're going to be throwing your head in there. If it's pass or run, you got a job to do and you've got to hold up your end of the bargain." When he entered Notre Dame, Alt wasn't an obvious candidate to become the first top-five pick out of South Bend in more than 30 years. He was not the most heralded recruit; he admitted that even Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines did not pursue him. The Minnesota native also had to deal with constant coaching change, playing for two head coaches, two offensive coordinators and three offensive line coaches. Alt didn't let any of that stand in his way. In fact, Alt spun the coaching turnover as a positive. "I was able to have two great head coaches, three great offensive line coaches and two great offensive coordi- nators who I think allowed me to excel, taught me a lot and allowed me to put my best foot forward," Alt said. "At the end of the day, I'm extremely grateful for those coaches and the people who allowed me to grow at Notre Dame and be able to have this opportunity become a reality." Joining a long line of Notre Dame offensive linemen in the NFL, Alt has a chance to outplay them all. He was drafted just ahead of Ronnie Stanley Alt — pictured here with his mom, Carolyn, and dad, John — was the highest-drafted Fighting Irish player since the Seahawks took Rick Mirer second overall in 1993. He also was Notre Dame's highest-drafted offensive linemen since George Kunz went second overall to the Falcons in 1969. PHOTO BY TY NOWELL/LOS ANGELES CHARGERS HOLLYWOOD JOE Joe Alt goes No. 5 overall to the Chargers, becoming the highest-drafted Golden Domer since 1993