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.
2. Blake Fisher, junior
Marcus Freeman might be trying to replace both of his tackles. Blake Fisher is another draft-eligible junior on the opposite side of the offensive line and he is widely considered to be Notre Dame’s second best draft prospect this year.
Fisher won’t be a first-rounder like Alt, but the NFL is desperate for offensive line talent, so Fisher would be drafted, and maybe even on Day 2. In one NFL mock draft database, Fisher is the consensus No. 132 player in this draft and reached a peak of No. 72 overall before sliding.
Notre Dame’s offensive line is a strength this year, but if Alt and Fisher both leave, it could be a weakness for whoever is playing QB next season.
3. Audric Estime, junior
The Fighting Irish are 56th in rushing offense this year and Estime is the biggest reason why. He has run for 988 yards through 10 games, already a career high and has 13 touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has also made 17 catches for 142 yards.
The NFL isn’t very interested in paying running backs, especially ones with excessive tread on their tires. Estime would be wise to make the jump to the league early to have a chance to cash-in later in his career by reaching free agency earlier.
Running backs make an impact on the league right away and Estime is talented enough to do just that next season.
Luckily for Notre Dame, four-star freshman Jeremiyah Love has run for 284 yards and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
4. Xavier Watts, junior
Now, Watts isn’t really on the radar of many NFL talent evaluators right now, but he opened some eyes with his performance against USC. The junior safety had eight tackles against the Trojans, which was a career-high, but the least impressive part of his stat line.
Watt finished that game with two interceptions of Caleb Williams, a forced fumble, and recovery. He was the best player on the field in a game littered with NFL talent and he could capitalize on that momentum by leaving for the league a year early.
Notre Dame Football’s offensive lineman earns exceptional NFL praise
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