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Pair of Notre Dame football stars make midseason All-American team

By Oliver Vandervoort

Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13) tries to elude Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13) tries to elude Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /
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Two Notre Dame football stars have been named to ESPN’s midseason All-American team with a third making the honorable mention list.

It’s been a bit of an up-and-down season for Notre Dame football so far this year. There was the big win over Duke, and then there was the big loss to Louisville.

That was followed by the massive win over USC. When you sprinkle in the last-second loss to Ohio State, 2023 can be viewed as quite the rollercoaster ride.

Despite all of that, there are a couple of Notre Dame football players who have had pretty consistently good seasons from start to finish. As with any players, there are some hiccups here and there, but they did good enough so far this year that ESPN named them in its Midseason All-American team.

Audric Estime and Howard Cross III have been in beast mode enough that the organization believes they belong on the list. Offensive lineman Joe Alt just barely missed the cut, though he did get an honorable mention just behind Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga.

Notre Dame football stars make midseason All-American team

When talking about why Estime made the list, ESPN points out some things that Notre Dame football fans might forget every now and then because he’s not the kind of player that has a lot of flash. But he’s got a lot of substance.

"Even though he’s a bigger back (227 pounds), Estime is tied for sixth among Power 5 players with eight runs of 20 yards or longer. He has rushed for more than 80 yards in six of his eight games, gaining 6.2 yards per rush and scoring nine touchdowns. And when the Irish need the tough yards, Estime has delivered. He leads all Power 5 backs with 532 yards after contact."

Howard Cross III is a guy that Notre Dame football fans know well. He’s been a monster on the defensive line this year, racking up tackles and constantly pressuring the opposing quarterbacks. Somehow he’s still not a household name.

"Cross is making the most of his first full season as a starter. He leads Notre Dame in total tackles (42) and tackles for loss (five), and has forced two fumbles. His 26 pressures rank second among all interior defenders, while his 21 run stops on defense are tied for second, according to Pro Football Focus"

Here’s hoping all three studs can carry Notre Dame football across the finish line and help the season end with success.

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