Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2024 45 W hen I started cov- ering Notre Dame about a year ago, I asked my more experienced colleagues a ton of ques- tions. I did my research, but it's hard to really know a team without talking to people who follow it every day. There was one question I posed to pretty much every- one, more for my own curi- osity than anything else. "Did you know Joe Alt would be this good?" The answer, typically, was no. A few thought he'd out- perform his relatively pe- destrian high school rank- ing, but not like this. There's a difference between a bor- derline three- or four-star recruit becoming a great player — which happens all the time — and a borderline three- or four-star recruit becoming the best left tackle in college football. That's who Alt was. Not that it needed any more confirmation, but his NFL Draft selection at No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers put any doubt to bed. If head coach Jim Harbaugh and company believed he and Alabama's JC Latham were close, they would have picked the natural right tackle to fill their hole at that position. They did not. As the book officially closes on Alt's Notre Dame career, it's worth appreci- ating just how fortunate the Irish were that it happened. Start by looking back at the 2021 sea- son. Blake Fisher earned the starting left tackle job out of fall camp, but he tore his meniscus at halftime of his debut in a win over Florida State. At this point, Notre Dame was in deep trouble. Michael Carmody got the first shot at replacing Fisher, but he suffered an injury of his own after one game. Tosh Baker had his chance in Weeks 3 and 4, but — as he would later admit — he wasn't ready. In Week 5, the Irish went back to Carmody. That also went poorly. Finally, in Week 6 against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame went to its fourth option: the true freshman who didn't enroll early and had worn No. 45 earlier in the season as a tight end. That, of course, was Alt. No one else started at left tackle in a blue-and-gold uniform for another 811 days. When I first saw Alt practice in camp last fall, I don't think I ever saw him lose a rep. No one could beat him to the edge; he was too quick. No one could over- power him; he was too big and strong. No one could win by hand-fighting him; his technique was too good. Alt is an incredibly intelligent foot- ball player, which is apparent for anyone who talks to him or watches him on the field. He's advanced enough to mix up his pass sets to keep edge rushers on their toes, and his relative athletic score ranks 11th out of 1,377 tackle prospects evaluated since 1987. Since making the jump from good to great in 2022, Alt was credited by Pro Football Focus with giving up exactly 1 sack. He was also the engineer of Notre Dame's successful run game during that time, consistently grading as one of the best run blockers in the sport. I tracked down that sack, which took place late in the third quar- ter against Duke Sept. 30. PFF seems to think Alt stuck with his man (ironically, fu- ture Notre Dame defensive end RJ Oben) too long as he tried to stunt inside, al- lowing the interior rusher to break free and sack Sam Hartman. Even if that's the case, it was more of a coverage sack than anything else. Hart- man had a clean pocket for three seconds, but no open receivers. I would not have put it on Alt. For the past two years, the Irish had the luxury of a brick wall on the left side. Hartman, Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner didn't have to worry about blind-side pressure, because Alt had it locked down. That's an incredible ad- vantage for an offense to have, and this is where this conversation has to turn toward 2024. With Alt headed to Los Angeles, that advantage is gone. Sophomore Charles Jagusah is Notre Dame's next left tackle, and he went through some growing pains in spring ball. Even if Jagusah becomes a good player — and by all accounts, that's likely, but the jury is still out on whether it hap- pens this fall — he likely won't be Alt. Certainly not this season, and probably not ever. He could become a first-round pick and still not be what Alt was for the Irish. That's no knock on Jagusah. If any- thing, it's a reminder to be patient when he inevitably takes his lumps. He should be evaluated as his own player, not an Alt replacement. But for all Notre Dame gained offen- sively this offseason — vastly improved wide receivers, a dual-threat quarter- back and an innovative play caller — it's worth remembering what it lost. ✦ Alt entered Notre Dame as the No. 31 offensive tackle and No. 364 overall player in the 2021 class per the On3 Industry Ranking. He leaves three years later as a two- time, first-team Associated Press All-American and the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. Appreciating Joe Alt