Notre Dame football: 4 players who (probably) won’t be back in 2024
By Josh Yourish
For years, Brian Kelly did his best to bring high-end talent to South Bend, despite the obvious limitations of Notre Dame’s recruiting abilities. Now, Marcus Freeman is putting together strong recruiting classes and utilizing the transfer portal to build a solid 2023 roster.
The Fighting Irish already have three losses, so sights are set on 2024. Super-Senior Sam Hartman will be on his way after this season, so Freeman will need a new young quarterback to lead his team to a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
It’ll be important to see which other players could bolt for the NFL or greener pastures in the transfer portal. These four underclassmen probably won’t be back in South Bend next season.
Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end R.J. Oben (94) tries to get past the block of Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Joe Alt (76) during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
1. Joe Alt, junior
Last year, Michael Mayer fell to the second round of the draft, so Notre Dame didn’t have a single first round pick. This season, the Fighting Irish has a sure-fire first round offensive tackle in Joe Alt who will likely be drafted in the top 10.
Consensus has Alt as the second best offensive line prospect in this draft behind Penn State’s Olu Fashanu.
A year ago we saw Fashanu, a draft-eligible junior return for his senior season at Penn State despite being considered a first-rounder, but I can’t expect Alt to do the same.