Replace and Reload: Notre Dame Will Have A New Look At Offensive Tackle
Notre Dame will be a much different looking offensive line in 2024, there is no doubt about that. Notre Dame will have at least three new starters up front compared to what we saw for the majority of the 2023 season. At tackle the Irish will have to replace a pair of multi-year starters, which brings into question how good the line can, and will, be in 2024. Let’s take a look at the offensive tackle position and where things are headed for Notre Dame
Notre Dame was certain to lose Joe Alt after the 2023 season, so his decision to leave for the NFL after his junior season didn’t come as a shock to anyone. Knowing it was going to happen doesn’t make it any easier, as Alt was the nation’s best offensive tackle last season, earning unanimous All-American honors. He’s also projected to be a Top 10 NFL Draft pick in April. Alt was a tremendous tackle for Notre Dame, providing dominant and consistent play on the blindside. According to Pro Football Focus, Alt allowed just five pressures all season, and just 13 in the last two seasons combined. The only sack he allowed was to former Duke defensive end R.J. Oben, who has since transferred to Notre Dame. The departure of right tackle Blake Fisher was far more surprising. Fisher has loads of natural ability, but he’s never turned that talent into consistent production. Fisher allowed 33 pressures the last two seasons, giving up 16 in 2023 and 17 in 2022. His performance in the run game also took a step back this season, but Fisher still decided to head to the NFL after his true junior season.
Coming into the season the hope was that Fisher would take a step forward, and then become Notre Dame’s top blocker in 2024 when Alt departed, but now the Irish have to start over at offensive tackle after this duo started 26 straight games dating back to the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2021 season.
In a bit of a surprise, true freshman Charles Jagusah emerged as the replacement for Alt for the bowl game matchup against Oregon State. It wasn’t a surprise from the standpoint of Jagusah being talented, that was never in doubt. Jagusah earned a 5.0-star grade and was the top ranked 2023 signee on the Irish Breakdown board. It was a surprise due to the fact Jagusah had moved inside to guard during the end of the regular season, and that he only played five snaps during the regular season, and all of them were at guard in Notre Dame’s win over Stanford. Jagusah is a massive young blocker (6-7, 330) with loads of talent and potential. He’s not only big and strong, but Jagusah is also a talented athlete for such a massive young player. His first start got off to a rough start, with Jagusah getting knocked to the ground on the first snap of the game, and his first series as a whole was a rough one. He settled in after that and by the end of the game a strong case could be made he was Notre Dame’s best blocker in the game. Jagusah heads into the offseason as the front runner at left tackle. Barring injury, he’ll be the team’s starting left tackle next season, of that I have very little doubt. The question is how much improvement can he make in one offseason. Jagusah missed most of the offseason last year, so this will be his first offseason with the Irish. The hope is that it will be a period where Jagusah’s technical and mental game takes a leap, which would be huge for the offensive line.
The Illinois native has all the tools to be a star for Notre Dame, and if he has an offseason of growth he’ll start to show that ability in 2024 and will allow the Irish to keep the position as a strength. No, Jagusah won’t be as good as Alt in 2024, but the position can still remain a strength if he has a good offseason.
Senior Tosh Baker won the battle for the right tackle job heading into the bowl game, and he handled himself well in the game. A former Top 100 recruit, Baker struggled in two spot starts at left tackle back in 2021, but his third career start was much better. Baker was steady in pass protection and solid in the run game as the Irish won the game 40-8. Baker is a solid athlete on the edge, and as he’s gotten older his ability to show competence in the run game has taken a job. The year under Harry Hiestand during the 2022 season was a huge plus for Baker, who built on that foundation in 2023. He was the team’s top backup at tackle, playing both left and right tackle this past season. If he’s going to hold off the talented younger players and keep the right tackle job in 2024, Baker will need to make two improvements. One is he’ll need to be more consistent with his pad level/base. Baker has a tendency to narrow his base, which forces him to get high out of his stance and makes him easier to drive back. We even saw this a few times in the bowl game. When he keeps his base, Baker shows the ability to handle any edge move that defenders can throw at him, and he’s effective in the run game. When he doesn’t he’s very, very beatable.
The second area is that Baker must continue to get stronger. He has certainly improved in this area, but in 2024 he’ll need to be a bit more forceful in the run game and anchor better on the perimeter, which requires even more lower body strength.
Many expected then sophomore Aamil Wagner to win the starting right tackle job in the bowl game, but Baker is the player that ultimately won that battle. Wagner will get another shot to battle for a starting role beginning in the spring. Wagner is an intriguing prospect because he has loads of tools, but there are also questions about whether or not he can hold up as a starter. Wagner is a very long, athletic edge player that shows really good natural pop. The issue, however, is that he’s still very thin, even though his weight has jumped up over 280 pounds. Wagner’s weight isn’t the issue as much as his actual girth, and how his weight is distributed. Wagner is listed at 288 pounds, which is about what former Notre Dame right tackle Robert Hainsey weighed most of his Irish career. The issue for Wagner is that he has a very thin lower body, which can be problematic for an offensive tackle. When Wagner comes off in the run game he’s really impressive, and he shows the ability to get a push off the line. The issue from a weight standpoint comes in the pass game, where his lack of girth can be a bit more problematic.
