The first offensive lineman in Notre Dame history to declare for the NFL draft after his junior season will not be left tackle Joe Alt but instead right tackle Blake Fisher.
Fisher announced his decision on Friday, possibly beating Alt to the news by mere hours or days but nonetheless becoming that Irish first in doing so.
“Personally, I want to go up against the best all the time and every play,” Fisher said to Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily. “I want to become one of the best. I feel I’m ready and my time at Notre Dame is over.”
Fisher will not play in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29 against No. 19 Oregon State, finishing his collegiate career with two seasons of eligibility remaining, starting the last 26 games at right tackle.
There is some full-circle thought to Fisher becoming the first Notre Dame offensive lineman to ever head to the NFL after his junior season given he was just the second true freshman to ever start along the Irish offensive line in a season opener. Fisher then tore his meniscus in that same opener at Florida State in 2021.
Sophomores Michael Carmody and Tosh Baker each suffered their own injuries at the position in the following weeks, directly leading to Alt’s breakthrough and ascension into an All-American.
To God Be the Glory! 🙌🏾☘️ pic.twitter.com/vBrHFKq8CJ
— Blake Fisher (@bfisher54_) December 8, 2023
Without Fisher, Notre Dame’s offensive line becomes more of a curiosity in the Sun Bowl. It is widely assumed Alt will also opt out of the contest, a certain first-round NFL draft pick with a clearer decision to make. The Irish will then presumably turn to Baker as one tackle and perhaps sophomore Aamil Wagner as the other, Wagner’s first genuine action.
Fifth-year interior lineman Andrew Kristofic could also possibly get a look, though that would be more of a surprise since he has worked at guard and center the last three seasons.
The Beavers have a decent pass rush, pressuing the opposing quarterback on 32.5 percent of dropbacks and sacking him on 7.9 percent, per cfb-graphs.com. For some context, Ohio State pressures the opposing quarterback on 32 percent of dropbacks, while Oreogn State’s sack rate ranks No. 21 in the country.
To use a more traditional stat, the Beavers rank No. 10 in the country with three sacks per game.
