Notre Dame Tackle Joe Alt Earns Walter Camp All-American Honors
A year ago, Joe Alt was the fourth different player Notre Dame tried in just finding a healthy and consistent presence at the left tackle position.
Two years ago he was an undersized, three-star offensive line prospect. Three years ago, he was a tight end.
On Monday, the Irish sophomore was named as the best in college football at his position, earning All-America honors at offensive tackle along with Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski.
Notre Dame junior tight end Michael Mayer joined Alt on the AP first team. Senior defensive end Isaiah Foskey was named to the AP second team.
Both Mayer and Foskey last week opted into the 2023 NFL Draft as early entries, Mayer on Wednesday and Foskey on Thursday afternoon, and opted out of 21st-ranked Notre Dame’s Dec. 30 Gator Bowl date with South Carolina in Jacksonville, Fla.
Alt will play and start for the Irish (8-4) against the Gamecocks (8-4). The Irish are taking a break from bowl practices this week until Saturday for final exams.
All three are still in the running for consensus All-America honors, with Mayer having the easiest path to get there.
Players must receive first-team recognition from the Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, The Associated Press, The American Football Coaches Association, and The Football Writers Association of America in order to be named unanimous All-America.
To clinch consensus honors players must land on the first team of three of those five organizations, though there is a path to gain consensus honors with just two first-team mentions.
With the final two All-America teams to be released in the next two days (TSN on Tuesday, AFCA on Wednesday), Mayer is one first-team spot from clinching consensus honors, having also been named first team by the Walter Camp Foundation and a second-teamer by the FWAA.
Alt and Foskey each have one first-team mention and two second-team mentions.
In the last two award cycles, the Irish have had four players named as at least consensus All-Americans; in 2021, safety Kyle Hamilton earned consensus recognition. 2020 saw the unanimous selection of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and offensive linemen Liam Eichenberg and Aaron Banks as All-Americans.
If Foskey can reach consensus status, he’d be the first Notre Dame defensive end to do so since Frank Stams at the end of ND’s 1988 national championship season. It’s been even longer for a tight end to do so.
Ken MacAfee is the most recent, earning consensus honors at tight end in 1976 and unanimous honors in 1977.
Mayer led all FBS tight ends in touchdown receptions in 2022 while posting a team-high 67 receptions for 809 yards — each second-best among FBS tight ends. He holds every major tight end career and single-season school record for Irish tight ends.
Foskey finished the regular season tied for fourth nationally in sacks (11) and set the Irish career record in that category with 26.5.
In terms of run blocking and overall play, Alt was the top-ranked college offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus. This season, Alt has allowed five pressures and zero sacks in 370 pass block sets.