Leftovers & Links: Even the ‘way-too-early’ 2019 polls already respect Notre Dame

By Jan 9, 2019, 7:00 AM EST
Associated Press
38 Comments

Idle time leads to endless arguments. Sports typically makes for a harmless venue to have them, even as they pertain to college football and Notre Dame. Thus, a deluge of “way-too-early” top-25 rankings for next season are published only hours after this season ended.

For once, those rankings support a stance held in these parts.

Take four national websites’ listings from Tuesday — Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Yahoo and The Athletic. They put the Irish at Nos. 5, 5, 6 and 11, respectively.

Now, none of those will directly mirror August’s preseason top 25 from the Associated Press or Phil Steele’s power listing in July. They will, however, not vary all that much, barring any massive offseason changes. (Like, as an obscure possibility not at all drawn from the last time Notre Dame went unbeaten in the regular season, a quarterback getting suspended for the season.) The Irish will enter 2019 a consensus top-10 team and arguably in the top 5.

Notre Dame will not rise any higher than that thanks to the mainstays at the top of the polls in this era of college football. As argued for a week now, it is Clemson and Alabama, and then a gap before another grouping of 3-5, led by Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma, but now also containing Brian Kelly’s Irish.

Returning a starting quarterback will lead to preseason expectations like that, especially when four offensive linemen also return to protect him. Bringing back a complete set of dynamic defensive ends will catch that attention. Winning 22 games in two seasons will do that.

Those seven teams? The six already mentioned here, as well as Washington, a program that has gone 1-4 against ranked out of conference opponents in the last five seasons, the one victory a 35-7 triumph vs. No. 20 BYU this past September. The Huskies may be the class of the Pac 12, but they are not currently in the mix with the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes, the Sooners or, yes, the Irish.

No, Notre Dame was not near a national title this season, but only two teams were, and in retrospect, maybe only one actually was. Yes, the odds are slim the Irish pull that off next season, but such is always the case, especially in the current time of Clemson and Alabama supremacy.

There is no other viable argument claiming Notre Dame has not re-joined the national conversation for more than a moment. There is no national bias against the Irish — again, ESPN slotted them as next season’s No. 5; that is hardly an insult. Sure, the final AP poll of 2018 dropped Notre Dame from No. 3 to No. 5, but such is the nature of ending the season with a 30-3 loss. That is neither right nor wrong. It just is.

The Irish will have an early chance to rise further within the considered second tier, facing unanimous No. 3 Georgia on Sept. 21. Provided the Bulldogs can survive a trip to Vanderbilt and then slip by Murray State and Arkansas State, they should still be No. 3 when Notre Dame arrives in Athens.

Until then, may this discussion of where the Irish stand compared to the country’s elite go quiet. They are one of 10 teams to have made the College Football Playoff, one of seven to win at least 10 games each of the last two seasons, and one of only a handful of teams within even shouting distance of Clemson and Alabama.

OTHER OPPONENT RANKINGS
Most notably, Michigan will be a fringe top-10 team in the preseason, but Notre Dame may face up to five total ranked opponents.

ND UGA Mich. USC Va. Tech Virg.
SI 5 3 7 — 25 —
ESPN 5 3 11 — — —
Yahoo 6 3 9 19 — 25
Athletic 11 3 12 24 — —

Of course, those polls will all change between now and August, based on roster movement, spring hype and further research, but they provide a starting point.

INSIDE THE IRISH READING
— Offensive woes more stark than Notre Dame’s defensive lapses
— Notre Dame personnel matters: Kareem returns
— Friday at 4: The long-term Notre Dame narrative from this blowout will be much more optimistic
— Notre Dame loses All-American CB Julian Love to NFL draft
— All-American Bowl primer
— Miles Boykin declares for NFL
— Notre Dame a step behind finalists, but only a step behind and behind only them

OUTSIDE READING
— Notre Dame freshman quarterback Phil Jurkovec won’t stop competing while waiting his turn
— Derrik Allen: Starting from scratch
— The 25 things we got wrong in the 2018 season
— Eight teams that could ruin Alabama-Clemson V next season
— Georgia RB Elijah Holyfield joins fellow Bulldogs turning pro
— Georgia offensive coordinator heads to Tennessee
— NFL All-Pro teams including three Notre Dame alums

[protected-iframe id="4322d87b3e2eb4d11caa19723fa3b36c-15933026-22035394" info="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" class="twitter-follow-button"]

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman, four-star recruit

By Jun 7, 2023, 12:30 PM EDT
Chris Terek Notre Dame
rivals.com
0 Comments

Listed measurements: 6-foot-6, 295 pounds
2023-24 year, eligibility: An incoming freshman, Terek has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Terek will come nowhere near Notre Dame’s two-deep this season, needing to focus more on strength and conditioning while also getting a better feel for the idea of a move to an interior, something the Irish will at least consider with Terek.
Recruiting: A long-time Wisconsin commit, Terek reconsidered his college destination when the Badgers abruptly and rather surprisingly fired Paul Chryst. The rivals.com four-star joined Notre Dame’s class right about the exact same time Wisconsin was announcing the hiring of Luke Fickell.

“Notre Dame, they’ve got a pretty crazy track record,” Terek told Inside ND Sports. They do very well with their O-linemen. (Former Irish offensive line) coach (Harry) Hiestand is awesome. And they seem like they’re really building something there.”

WHAT WAS SAID WHEN TEREK SIGNED IN DECEMBER
“His massive lower body — which Notre Dame strength and conditioning coordinator Matt Balis should enjoy molding — gives Terek ample power, something that Hiestand could turn loose on many Irish running plays. …

“Give Terek some time to develop physically before locking him into the two-deep anywhere.”

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS

2023 OUTLOOK
Do not expect to hear Terek’s name again until the spring. That is not a knock on him, not in any regard. Rather, it is an acknowledgment of what to expect from most freshmen offensive linemen and, in particular, what to expect from them when Notre Dame has 17 scholarship offensive linemen on the roster.

Five of them are freshmen, and while early enrollee Sam Pendleton could perhaps crack the paper version of a three-deep at center, none should press for playing time in 2023.

Terek, perhaps more than the others, will need the year with no expectations. He played right tackle in high school, and the Irish are likely to try him out on the interior. At 6-foot-5, he is not yet too long to play inside, but much more vertical growth could change that.

Learning the interior footwork will be enough of a task for Terek as a freshman, along with the usual strength and conditioning work.

Inside the Irish

Notre Dame adds four-star RB and in-state OL after biggest recruiting weekend...
Clemson v Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
Ty Chan Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star...

DOWN THE ROAD
With 17 scholarship offensive linemen knocking around, and three already committed in the next class, position competitions will be the norm moving forward, though there will naturally be front runners.

Current sophomore Billy Schrauth and fifth-year Andrew Kristofic should emerge as the starting guards this season. If Kristofic spurns his final year of eligibility in 2024, current junior Rocco Spindler should get next crack at a starting role.

Both Schrauth and Spindler could be around in 2025, with current junior Pat Coogan supplementing them if he has not grabbed hold at center. Only then can names like Terek, classmate Joe Otting and sophomore Ashton Craig begin to be considered.

All of which is to say, Notre Dame is in an enviable position. Offensive line talent is scarce on the transfer market. Individual players need to be staring at uphill trajectories like this if the program wants to be a genuine contender instead of just the 10th team into the expanded Playoff.

WHY No? 75?
Terek wore No. 77 in high school, but current sophomore Ty Chan owns those digits in the Irish locker room. With offensive linemen largely focused on numbers in the 70s, 75 is one of just two available numbers (along with No. 71).

Perhaps Terek drops to No. 67, but for this penciling him into the content calendar, 75 fits well enough.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

Notre Dame adds four-star RB and in-state OL after biggest recruiting weekend of summer

By Jun 6, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
1 Comment

Following its biggest on-campus recruiting weekend of the summer, Notre Dame has already added two pieces to its future rushing game. First, consensus four-star running back Kedren Young (Lukin High School; Texas) committed to the Irish late Monday night, and then consensus three-star offensive lineman Styles Prescod (Hamilton Southeastern H.S.; Fishers, Ind.) followed suit midday Tuesday.

The No. 16 running back in the class and No. 213 overall prospect, per rivals.com, Young chose Notre Dame over Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas and Michigan. In total, eight Division I programs from his homestate of Texas offered Young scholarships.

At 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he runs angry before running away from defenders, who have a hard time squaring him up on the rare occasions they get a chance at a tackle. Young’s highlight reel borders on tedious it is filled with so many breakaway runs, scoring 19 touchdowns and averaging more than seven yards per carry as a junior.

He is the second running back in Notre Dame’s class of 2024, joining consensus four-star running back Aneyas Williams (Hannibal H.S.; Mo.). The Irish need such a duo given the distinct likelihood current junior Audric Estimé heads to the NFL after this season, leaving Notre Dame with only three unproven ball carriers in the backfield.

Either sophomore Gi’Bran Payne or Jadarian Price could break through as Estimé’s complement in 2023, but both have worrisome injury histories, making a sheer numbers approach to the position prudent.

Both Young and Prescod were at Notre Dame for the so-called Irish Invasion this past weekend, a camp the Irish coaching staff uses as a chance to evaluate many top prospects in person while also giving them an opportunity to see campus before possibly taking an official visit this fall.

For Prescod, it was a shorter trip. From a suburb north of Indianapolis, he had about a two-hour drive to South Bend, the rare prospect close enough to Notre Dame to give the Irish a geographic advantage, even as half the Big Ten chased the offensive lineman, including Iowa, Michigan and Indiana.

Notre Dame Recruiting

Sean Sevillano Notre Dame
300-pound defensive tackle Sean Sevillano joins Notre Dame class of 2024
Loghan Thomas Notre Dame
One defensive lineman drops from Notre Dame’s class of 2024, consensus...
Former Ohio State lacrosse commit, four-star LB Bodie Kahoun joins Notre...

Notre Dame first sought the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Prescod when Harry Hiestand was still the Irish offensive line coach, with new position coach Joe Rudolph finishing the push.

Prescod plays tackle in high school, and while Indiana high school football is not the stiffest of competition, he looks the part of a collegiate tackle, as well. Most notably, Prescod sets a clean edge even if he is not yet fully grown. He also has some power to his blocks, while still needing to add 20-30 pounds of muscle.

If that day comes, Hiestand’s, Rudolph’s and Notre Dame’s expectations of Prescod as a prospect should become reality.

The third offensive lineman in the class, he joins four-star Peter Jones (Roswell; Ga.) and three-star Anthonie Knapp (Malvern Prep; Penn.).

The combination of Young and Prescod brings the Irish class of 2024 to 19 total commits, the most in the country at the moment. Notre Dame ranks No. 2 in class rankings, per rivals.com, behind only Georgia (with 17 commitments) and ahead of Michigan (17), LSU (16) and Penn State (17).

This is the second year in a row the Irish have spent the summer in the top three, falling to No. 11 when all was said and done last cycle. There are obviously no assurances another such late drop will not befall Notre Dame, but regardless, the summer momentum furthers the Irish coaching staff’s recruiting pitch.

Inside the Irish

Chris Terek Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman,...
Clemson v Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle
Ty Chan Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star...

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle

By Jun 5, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT
Clemson v Notre Dame
Getty Images
0 Comments

Listed measurements: 6-foot-8, 315 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A junior, Alt has two years of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Alt will be the Irish starting left tackle this fall, not surprising given he will be the first-team All-American left tackle in most, if not all, preseason considerations.
Recruiting: Notre Dame recruited Alt as an offensive lineman when he was a 240-pound tight end. He was up to 280 pounds by the time he signed with the Irish in December of 2020, still needing to add weight as his frame continued to grow.

Throughout that entire process, he remained a three-star prospect despite his father’s NFL pedigree, a 13-year NFL tackle. Few three-star recruits are drafted, even fewer are surefire first-round draft picks, and fewer yet are All-Americans as sophomores.

CAREER TO DATE
Alt’s career hit the fast track when injuries to three young tackles ahead of him in the first month of the 2021 season left Notre Dame with no choice but to throw him into a starting role; less than two years after Alt was a high school tight end, he was the starting left tackle following in the footsteps of Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley and Mike McGlinchey.

There is obviously no way to ever know how long it would have taken Alt to blossom on Saturdays if not for the back-to-back-to-back injuries of Blake Fisher’s torn meniscus, Tosh Baker’s concussion and Michael Carmody’s sprained ankle in September of 2021, but it is an entertaining parlor wonder.

Instead, Alt will go down as a three-year starter at left tackle, not missing a game in 2022. Counting this coming season, Alt will be the fifth consistent starter at left tackle for the Irish in the last 14 seasons. Three of those previous four were drafted in the top 20 with Liam Eichenberg going No. 42 overall in 2021.

2021: 13 games, 8 starts.
2022: 13 starts.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
Logically, Alt is likely making more this year than all but one or two other players on Notre Dame’s roster. Given he has proven himself and will consistently be a headline player in 2023, even as an offensive lineman, that should not surprise anyone.

Much of that income will not be noticed publicly, but some of it will come from the most obvious of sources, working with the next generation of players.

This space has said it before, and it will say it again. The NCAA’s prohibiting players from working in camps like that up until a few years ago was the most obtuse of its many obtuse policies.

Alt will also profit off sports cards and signing them. Again, an obvious thing that was never going to harm anyone except the NCAA’s monopoly and schools’ control of players, which is why it was outlawed for so long.

QUOTES
When Harry Hiestand retired, it was generally understood Irish head coach Marcus Freeman would have his pick of offensive line coaches from across the country. Notre Dame returns three veteran starters up front, including a clear first-round draft pick in Alt. That line should make its position coach look good the next couple of years. Pulling Joe Rudolph out of Virginia Tech, where Rudolph had made a long-term commitment just a year ago, proved that understanding to be true.

“Some guys just have amazing talent,” Rudolph said of Alt in mid-April. “Amazing athleticism, amazing size.

“And then there’s some guys that just have the quality of leadership and the grit and the way they’re going to get it done in the moment. They’re going to be a great leader and make guys around them better. You don’t always find that all in one guy.

“He’s as close as I’ve got to see all of that in one guy. He brings it from all facets, and it’s much appreciated. … Very unique young man.”

Inside the Irish

Chris Terek Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman,...
Notre Dame adds four-star RB and in-state OL after biggest recruiting weekend...
Ty Chan Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star...

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“If Alt was able to help solidify the Irish line, along with left guard Andrew Kristofic stepping in for Zeke Correll, with his size after just one summer in a collegiate strength and conditioning program, then all expectations should be fast-forwarded even further. It defies logic to think someone once projected as a possible 2024 contributor could now be a stalwart on the Notre Dame line in 2022, but Alt has made that a potential reality.

“That is not meant to jump the proverbial shark or to move the figurative goal posts. It is just the possible continuation of Alt’s rapid ascent.

“At the absolute least, he should start throughout the season, barring injury. His length was what made Alt an intriguing prospect as a recruit, along with his lineage. Taking so well to adding weight already should make him durable, as well.

“He will give up some sacks, just as he did early in his first start, but that is the inevitability of the position. Under returned offensive line coach Harry Hiestand’s eye for fundamentals, Alt should correct those mistakes shortly after he makes them. That could make for a very impressive November.”

2023 OUTLOOK
Alt ended last season as a first-team All-American. Remember: He was recruited as a project, not as a three-and-done, multi-year All-American first-round draft pick.

Walter Camp has already named him a preseason first-team All-American for 2023, and a pile more of those nods should come before the season. So his 2023 will be marked by three possibilities: unanimous All-American, Outland Trophy, Joe Moore Award.

If Alt pulls off those first two, Notre Dame will be in good position for the third, the honor given to the best offensive line every season. If that becomes reality, then the Irish ceiling in 2023 ticks toward Playoff contender.

There are few other ways to genuinely track a left tackle, but Ohio State’s primetime visit on Sept. 23 will shine a light on Alt. Buckeyes junior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau could be a top-15 pick in the spring. Alt faced a similar prospect last season, not giving up a pressure to Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy on 15 snaps matched up against each other. Worth noting: Murphy went No. 28 in the NFL draft.

DOWN THE ROAD
There is an easy way to judge the veracity of a 2024 mock draft right now: Is Alt in the top 15? If not, find a more in-touch analyst.

Not much else needs to be said here. If Alt is looking at a top-15 projection, and that is on the low end, no one in South Bend should try to dissuade him from jumping to the NFL. Tosh Baker or Blake Fisher should assuage most 2024 worries about the left tackle position.

Some pieces of context to Notre Dame left tackles in the NFL draft to remember when Alt hears his name called:

2014: Four-year starter Zack Martin goes No. 16 overall.
2016: Two-year starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley goes No. 6 overall.
2018: Two-year starting left tackle Mike McGlinchey goes No. 9 overall.
2021: Three-year starting left tackle Liam Eichenberg goes No. 42 overall.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 77 Ty Chan, sophomore offensive tackle, former four-star recruit

By Jun 3, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT
Ty Chan Notre Dame
rivals.com
5 Comments

Listed measurements: 6-foot-5, 310 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A sophomore, Chan has all four seasons of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Chan might crack the two-deep as the backup to junior Blake Fisher at right tackle, conceivably competing with classmate Aamil Wagner for that theoretical honor. “Theoretical” because the practical backup to Fisher would more likely be senior Tosh Baker, though Baker will not be listed as No. 2 at both left and right tackle.
Recruiting: Chan’s low-maintenance recruitment fit both an offensive lineman prospect and a Massachusetts product, turning down Boston College, Penn State and Syracuse when he committed to Notre Dame more than a year before he could sign his National Letter of Intent. The No. 11 offensive tackle and No. 221 overall prospect in the class, per rivals.com, Chan never wavered in that lengthy commitment.

CAREER TO DATE
Chan did not see the field as a freshman.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS

QUOTES
When new Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph twice mentioned Baker getting work at guard this spring, it sparked a thought that perhaps Chan and/or Wagner was impressing at tackle. At this point, that is nothing more than a sparked thought, but it is something to keep in mind if Baker again works on the interior in preseason practices.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Vague expectations show Chan as a reserve at right tackle in 2022, putting him behind sophomore Blake Fisher and junior Tosh Baker, though if injuries were to tear through the line (again), junior Michael Carmody would find his way onto the field long before Chan.

“Which is to say, Chan should enjoy the typical freshman season that Fisher and Joe Alt did not in 2021. He will work on his technique under (former Irish offensive line coach Harry) Hiestand’s tutelage, more of a need for this class than perhaps any other after so many of their 2020 seasons, their junior seasons, were turned upside down by the pandemic.

“Chan has much of the lower body muscle one would want from a collegiate offensive tackle, but his upper body still needs to develop some punch. Working in the strength and conditioning program will also benefit him.

“One thing neither Heistand nor strength coordinator Matt Balis will need to worry much about is Chan’s footwork. Assuredly, some of his exact steps may need fine-tuning, but someone able to deftly move around the post in a basketball game usually takes well to the exact steps at tackle. Exhibit A: Ronnie Stanley.”

Inside the Irish

Chris Terek Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 75 Chris Terek, incoming freshman offensive lineman,...
Notre Dame adds four-star RB and in-state OL after biggest recruiting weekend...
Clemson v Notre Dame
Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 76 Joe Alt, first-team All-American left tackle

2023 OUTLOOK
Chan’s 2023 should look much like his 2022, though a spot on the travel roster and perhaps some special teams protection work could be added to his portfolio. Otherwise, it would take a rash of injuries to move Chan past not only Alt and Fisher but also Baker and senior Carmody, a one-time starter at tackle during the 2021 rash of injuries.

This is the typical track of an offensive line prospect; Alt and Fisher are the exceptions that prove the rule. Chan lost his junior season of high school football to the pandemic, and he comes from rather infertile preps territory in Massachusetts. Developing the fundamentals of pass blocking against collegiate defensive linemen should be atop his priority list for the time being, and that is exactly what scout-team work is for.

Furthermore, Chan appeared to have some wrist or arm injury at the end of spring practices. If that is something that has plagued him this summer or continues to, that could knock him a step backward in development, particularly behind Wagner.

All of which is to say, Chan may provide Notre Dame depth in 2023, but little more.

DOWN THE ROAD
Alt will be in the NFL next season. Fisher might be, but that is not the same certainty. If only one starting gig is available, Baker will get the first shot at it and with a decent runway. But after him, Chan and Wagner will be competing with incoming freshman Charles Jagusah.

That same trio should be the primary challengers for both starting gigs in 2025, when Fisher should be in the NFL and Baker will be out of eligibility.

Such a timeline is, again, the usual for an offensive line prospect and why Chan can spend the short-term focusing on his fundamentals.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …
No. 78 Pat Coogan, junior interior offensive lineman
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience