'21 MN OL Joe Alt (Notre Dame Signee)

[Riddickulous]

The PFF article says he was one of the Top 15 graded tackles in the country from Week 6 onward.

 

[rtrn2glory]

Possible we have two Bookend Tackles with All American potential for the next two-three years.....Me like.

 

[Luckylucci]

First of all, what a stud. NFL scouts are already going to be watching this young man.

But, maybe I'm the only one that finds this situation just unreal. To think this guy was just sitting there while we watched Lugg flail about at RT and then tried Carmody and Baker at LT before him. The best option at either Tackle position was the one they tried last. I mean, they had to have an insane rash of injuries and one of the worst OL in P5 football in order to get this guy on the field. They were pretty much forced into it. Just crazy to think that if none of that happened, we still might not know what Alt truly was because the coaches couldn't get out of their own way.

That is unless we think we got appreciably better from week 1-5. Which I don't. I think they just completely F this OL from the beginning and refused to get off it for too long. Evident as it wasn't just the OT positions.

 

[Irish#1]

First of all, what a stud. NFL scouts are already going to be watching this young man.

But, maybe I'm the only one that finds this situation just unreal. To think this guy was just sitting there while we watched Lugg flail about at RT and then tried Carmody and Baker at LT before him. The best option at either Tackle position was the one they tried last. I mean, they had to have an insane rash of injuries and one of the worst OL in P5 football in order to get this guy on the field. They were pretty much forced into it. Just crazy to think that if none of that happened, we still might not know what Alt truly was because the coaches couldn't get out of their own way.

That is unless we think we got appreciably better from week 1-5. Which I don't. I think they just completely F this OL from the beginning and refused to get off it for too long. Evident as it wasn't just the OT positions.

Montana was buried on the depth chart. It happens.

 

[NDdomer2]

First of all, what a stud. NFL scouts are already going to be watching this young man.

But, maybe I'm the only one that finds this situation just unreal. To think this guy was just sitting there while we watched Lugg flail about at RT and then tried Carmody and Baker at LT before him. The best option at either Tackle position was the one they tried last. I mean, they had to have an insane rash of injuries and one of the worst OL in P5 football in order to get this guy on the field. They were pretty much forced into it. Just crazy to think that if none of that happened, we still might not know what Alt truly was because the coaches couldn't get out of their own way.

That is unless we think we got appreciably better from week 1-5. Which I don't. I think they just completely F this OL from the beginning and refused to get off it for too long. Evident as it wasn't just the OT positions.

I hope this was more of a they identified him and it took 5 weeks to get him up to speed for playing time.

Either way i don't know that this cost us a game and now we know what we have.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Didn't he get in for the Wisconsin game and look not nearly as good? I thought people were talking about that after the Badger Beatdown

 

[ab2cmiller]

I mean Alt wasn't even an Early Enrollee. He had a steep learning curve. It's no surprise that he wasn't ready early on. I can only imagine how much he developed with each week.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I hope this was more of a they identified him and it took 5 weeks to get him up to speed for playing time.

Either way i don't know that this cost us a game and now we know what we have.

Right I think this is the more likely scenario. As others have mentioned he was not even an EE. So week 1 and week 2 he might not have even had the playbook down yet or he may not have been comfortable with the playbook.

Additionally Carmody was decent when he was in, he just got injured right away. If Carmody stayed 100% healthy maybe Alt never gets the opportunity to start at RT...

 

[Huntr]

ESPN True Freshman AA

 

[BobbyMac]

Just in case you never grasped just how big Mr. Alt is:

 

[drayer54]

 

[NDPhilly]

What a find he was by Quinn / Kelly. OL really is a crapshoot more than any other position group when it comes to recruiting.

 

[T-Boone]

Is he going to stay 4 years?

 

[Irish#1]

What a find he was by Quinn / Kelly. OL really is a crapshoot more than any other position group when it comes to recruiting.

He's also fortunate that Harry is now here to take him to the next level.

 

[NDdomer2]

Quinn also did an amazing job to get him developed and ready to play in just a couple months last year.

I don't see how a 3 year starter at LT (assuming good health) stays for a 4th year

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Is he going to stay 4 years?

If he's a projected top10 pick after 3 then he'll have a tough decision but if he's late 1st or 2nd round projected, he'd be very wise to play 4. The NFL is a different level and it's rare for an early entrant OL to be ready for the NFL. Alt might be one of the exceptions but let's enjoy him for at least 1.6667 years

 

[Crazy Balki]

I do think Quinn finally got his shit together and really started to recruit at a high level and appears to have made some really good evals.

Unfortunately, his evals in 2019 were poor and 2020, I just don't know what the hell the staff was thinking.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I do think Quinn finally got his shit together and really started to recruit at a high level and appears to have made some really good evals.

Unfortunately, his evals in 2019 were poor and 2020, I just don't know what the hell the staff was thinking.

Every single OL commit from the 2019 class was offered by HH. I'm not even blaming HH for bad evals. You will always miss on some, there will be injuries, etc. But to pin this on Quinn is a bit of a stretch. Crappy 2018 class, underperforming 2019 class, small 2020 class made for a pretty bad OL situation.

 

[Cackalacky2.0]

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

1989–2003	Grand Valley State (OC/OL)
2004–2006	Central Michigan (OC/OL)
2006	Central Michigan (interim HC)
2006–2009	Cincinnati (OC/OL)
2009	Cincinnati (interim HC)
2010–2014	Buffalo
2015	Notre Dame (offensive analyst)
2016–2017	Notre Dame (assistant S&C)
2018–2021	Notre Dame (OL)

Tell me you are Brian Kelly's boy without telling me you're Brian Kelly's boy.

Tommy Rees was a nepotism hire? JQ hung out for three years in the background before getting a real assistant coaching job. Wish him well wherever he is.

 

[Dale]

To be fair, Correll is our starting C and Carroll is the RT for a team probably better than us, amidst injury issues. Kristofic is essentially our 6th OL for two seasons now. I’d venture to guess Baker ends up a P5 starter somewhere if it’s not ND and then Carmody is a mystery. 2019 - 2020 didn’t find a Martin or Nelson or Fisher that we’ve grown accustomed to but we’ll look back and see they were P5 Offensive Lineman for sure. A lot of guys that’d you’re okay if they’re you’re 4th or 5th best on the OL, just no stars. I’ll back HH over Quinn in most arguments, but if HH doesn’t botch 2018, do we even notice 2019 - 2020 as much?

 

[stlnd01]

1989–2003	Grand Valley State (OC/OL)
2004–2006	Central Michigan (OC/OL)
2006	Central Michigan (interim HC)
2006–2009	Cincinnati (OC/OL)
2009	Cincinnati (interim HC)
2010–2014	Buffalo
2015	Notre Dame (offensive analyst)
2016–2017	Notre Dame (assistant S&C)
2018–2021	Notre Dame (OL)

Tell me you are Brian Kelly's boy without telling me you're Brian Kelly's boy.

Tommy Rees was a nepotism hire? JQ hung out for three years in the background before getting a real assistant coaching job. Wish him well wherever he is.

Did Kelly bring him along as an analyst at LSU?

Couldn't find any real sign of it this season - and Quinn hasn't updated his Twitter page since a video of BK drinking a few ounces of Gatorade out of what must be the trophy we got for beating Stanford last year - but some mentions in like January that would be happening.

Quinn's not THAT bad a coach you'd think he could get a job somewhere.

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Did Kelly bring him along as an analyst at LSU?

Couldn't find any real sign of it this season - and Quinn hasn't updated his Twitter page since a video of BK drinking a few ounces of Gatorade out of what must be the trophy we got for beating Stanford last year - but some mentions in like January that would be happening.

Quinn's not THAT bad a coach you'd think he could get a job somewhere.

I'm not sure where he is at the moment, to be honest. I am thankful JQ was never named OC because I really thought it was going to be a possibility. He just kept lingering in the background and wasn't being hired anywhere else, but he was employed at ND by the only person who ever really employed him other than Buffalo.

Have to say, Brian Kelly has spawned some pretty good paydays in his time. Diaco, Molnar, Martin, Quinn, etc.

 

[ulukinatme]

Did Kelly bring him along as an analyst at LSU?

Couldn't find any real sign of it this season - and Quinn hasn't updated his Twitter page since a video of BK drinking a few ounces of Gatorade out of what must be the trophy we got for beating Stanford last year - but some mentions in like January that would be happening.

Quinn's not THAT bad a coach you'd think he could get a job somewhere.

I dunno. Took him 6 games and a BYE to get the OL to gel last season. Heistand did it in like 6 quarters. Half a season just seems too long when everything starts with the big boys in the trenches. There was all that talk last season of the boys going to Harry during their down time for extra instruction too. I don't know if we ever got it sorted that it was due to coaching struggles or time limitations that they made that call.

 

[NDdomer2]

I dunno. Took him 6 games and a BYE to get the OL to gel last season. Heistand did it in like 6 quarters. Half a season just seems too long when everything starts with the big boys in the trenches. There was all that talk last season of the boys going to Harry during their down time for extra instruction too. I don't know if we ever got it sorted that it was due to coaching struggles or time limitations that they made that call.

Context is probably important. Harry also had a group of guys who already played together not geling.

Quinn's group was a group who had never played together along with true frosh and first time starters.

 

[ulukinatme]

Gotta admit I was wrong. I thought Alt was absolutely excellent, but I thought Fisher was just a smidge better after his highly graded Fiesta Bowl return. I thought Fisher should have swapped back to LT for that reason, but Big Fish had a slow start to the year and Alt has only gotten better. Really cool stuff.

 

[rtrn2glory]

The first plausible words that came out of either Garret or Collinsworth's mouth this entire season was the story about how his dad developed him into an OL. Might be the only time all year i've actually enjoyed one of the stories those two morons told.

 

[Irish#1]

Gotta admit I was wrong. I thought Alt was absolutely excellent, but I thought Fisher was just a smidge better after his highly graded Fiesta Bowl return. I thought Fisher should have swapped back to LT for that reason, but Big Fish had a slow start to the year and Alt has only gotten better. Really cool stuff.

Kids a beast. I was with you. Thought they would swap this year, but give Harry the credit. He recognized the difference in talent.

 

[Me2SouthBend]

Kids a beast. I was with you. Thought they would swap this year, but give Harry the credit. He recognized the difference in talent.

And yet they will both likely be first round picks after next season.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Happy talk is good I suppose, but Alt is "there"; Fisher has a significant way to go.

When you watch how the two handle outside speed rushers, there is a difference. Both can appear to get beaten by the original speed burst. Both then have to flail a bit to get back into control. Alt DOES that. His length (mainly) and his better footwork (somewhat surprisingly given the claims about Fisher) allow him to thwart the rusher so that the DE wants to stop and try to go under. Alt then steps and engages again with ability to push. If Pyne saw this (or "felt" it better), he could even step outside to his left when Alt was controlling the player trying to get inside. (If the rusher continued to go outside, Alt classically just rides him into the deep green space.)

Meanwhile, if Fisher is experiencing the same thing, he is also initially losing the speed game, but his footwork isn't as good. Sometimes the rusher wins wide and causes trouble. More often Fisher gets enough in front of the opponent that the DE decides (just as with Alt) to turn/spin inside. Fisher however doesn't get his feet adjusting as well as Alt, and the DE seriously penetrates there. Pyne often seems to see this problem coming but won't step up to the safer center of the pocket created by Lugg (mainly) and the Patterson/Correll doubleteams (our usual way of blocking front fours) (Pyne's height may also have something to do with his slow decision on stepping up also). Fisher's man then too regularly can reach out and hinder Pyne.

I'm amazed at how often a pass-hurry or a sack looks the same way: Fisher's man seriously threatening Pyne's right arm, while Alt has somehow recovered and might even have his man on the ground late. Meanwhile Lugg having so stoned his opponent that a QB like Book might even wiggle through that area. (let alone loop around where Alt is wrestling effectively with his guy. I'm not sure what Coan would have done about this, but I think that with his height he might quickly step forward and deliver a ball.)