Tall Tales From Notre Dame’s Towering Offensive Tackles

By John Brice
Special Contributor

It starts with an old fishing tale.

OK, the story is only a few months old, the fish is still basking in the pond behind the home of Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker and, really, the only dispute rests in who gets credit for Blake Fisher’s ability to reel in the trophy catch.

Fisher, anchor of the Irish’s right offensive flank, or Joe Alt, stalwart left tackle.

“We fished a couple of times,” said the gregarious Fisher, his relentless FaceTimes during the Irish’s 2021 coaching transition paramount in the group’s current camaraderie. “We fished at Coach Parker’s house and I caught a little fish with him.

“Dude loves to fish, and dude loves to crack jokes. I would say that Joe is really funny, but I would say some people would be like, ‘Joe’s not funny.’ But he’s pretty funny.”

As friendly off the field as overpowering on it, Alt is quick to clarify – with his version of events – the great fishing tale from the backyard of the Fighting Irish’s first-year offensive coordinator.

“The funny part is that I’m the one who took the picture of that fish, because I was the one fishing before him,” Alt, the indomitable, 6-foot-8, 322-pound All-American and son of Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer John Alt, said. “And then I was the one casting it for him.

“Don’t let him get ahead of you on that one; I was definitely the one fishing.”

Both just in their third seasons of college football, Alt and Fisher nonetheless are the ‘grumpy old men’ of Notre Dame’s staunch offensive line, which is expected to be a team strength for the Irish as they carry College Football Playoff aspirations into this 2023 season.

They needle one another off the field – or between practice reps – but also help to elevate each other’s play.

“Like I’ve said in the past, that’s my guy; that’s my best friend. I get nuggets from him, he gets nuggets from me,” Fisher, peer-recruiting MVP of the Irish’s consensus top-10 2021 signing class, said. “I watch him, he watches me; we make each other better. It doesn’t get much better than that.

“We keep the main thing, the main thing. That’s coming to work every day and helping others around us be better.”

Though not officially roommates, there is little Alt and Fisher do not share. Alt knows Fisher’s French bulldog, Blue, and the dog knows Alt.

“I think for us, it’s just like we have same the goals and the same mindset and it’s wanting to be the best at everything we do,” Alt said. “I think that’s why we get along so well, because we’re so similar-minded off the field and on the field, it’s just like, ‘All right, let’s just go do it.’”

With designs on becoming an entrepreneur with an interest also in politics, Fisher marvels at Alt’s career path after football – years down the road for a pair of players already eliciting regular attendance from NFL scouts at Notre Dame practices.

“He’s a freaking engineer,” Fisher said. “Dude’s class schedule is crazy. He just comes to work every day and the balance that he has versus some of us, has like three or four classes, exams, like super-hard exams.

“I love him because everything he does through is just the epitome of great. That’s my dog.”

The individual and collective potential for greatness from Alt and Fisher, pillars for record-setting graduate-transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, drives to the foundation of how second-year Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is fashioning his program.

“I’ve always said this: When your biggest players are your best leaders, you’ve got a chance to have a special team,” said Freeman, who notched wins against a trio of nationally-ranked teams and capped his debut campaign with a come-from-behind win in the Gator Bowl. “There’s something about being physically intimidating and also being a great leader.

“Those two guys are both great leaders for us, great workers, great players; I’m excited. Obviously, it’s exciting for that quarterback to know you’ve got two staples at tackle that are going to protect you.”

No one is protecting the duo from one another.

Following a sweltering practice in preseason camp, conversation turns quickly to an upcoming, not-yet-on-the-calendar eating face-off between the two tackles.

“We’re definitely competing at eating, because he thinks he can out-eat me, and it’s not even close,” said Alt, who has combined with Fisher to start 14 consecutive games together and already have 41 joint career appearances. “So, we’ve had hot dog eating contests, and it’s just not even close.

“Ten minutes, I’m probably putting down 14. Blake’s probably putting down, maybe, nine.”

Fisher interjects.

“Fourteen with buns?,” he asked. “You don’t have that in you.”

Like any good fishing tale, the truth likely rests somewhere in the middle.