Fridley (Minn.) Totino Grace class of 2021 offensive tackle Joe Alt added an offer from Notre Dame on Friday, which he wasn’t exactly expecting.
He had some contact with the Fighting Irish staff last fall, but communication died down after some time went on. But Notre Dame was back in contact with Alt this week and wanted to see his film.
“I guess they liked it,” Alt said. “It was a big surprise, and I was extremely excited about it.”
Alt received the scholarship offer from Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn during a phone call.
“He went through what they look for in a recruit, and he said I fit those things,” said Alt. “He thinks I’d be a great addition to the team and that’s why they offered me. It was awesome.”
The 6-7, 255-pounder hasn’t been to Notre Dame before, but he’s familiar with the Irish enough to have a strong view of the program, and even has a tie to the school as well.
“Obviously, I’m familiar with the academics and overall great football reputation,” Alt said. “My aunt and uncle actually went there. Academics is very important to me. Their combination of a well-known football team with a long legacy of winning and a great tradition, plus a really good school that will push me to get a great degree – that combo is very intriguing to me.”
Rivals actually lists Alt as a tight end, as that was the position he was originally recruited at. There are still schools looking at him as a pass-catcher, but many, including Notre Dame, believe his upside is best at tackle.
“I would say it’s definitely more offensive line than tight end,” Alt explained. “There are 2-3 schools that want me at tight end, and there’s a couple who just want to see me develop. I grew six inches from sophomore to junior year. I just hit my growth spurt and starting to fill out. Schools are waiting to see if I can put on the weight, which I definitely think I will, to play offensive line or if they want me to stay at tight end.”
Recruits are handling their process during these unprecedent times differently, but for the most part, there are two trends we’re seeing. There are prospects who are going ahead and committing early to lock in their spot at their favorite school, while the second group of recruits are waiting the dead period out to see more schools before making a decision.
“I’m in that second group,” Alt told BlueandGold.com. “I think I’ll end up committing either in August or September. I think I’m going to hold firm to that. My goal is to see some schools that I haven’t seen, especially Notre Dame – that’s at the top of my list. You can’t get a good feel of these schools without being there – that’s why I’m holding out.”
Alt holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern and Notre Dame. Rutgers and Stanford have yet to offer but are showing interest.
“It’s definitely busy,” Alt said of the recruiting process. “It’s a variety of phone calls and FaceTimes. Early on when things got shut down, there were a lot of virtual tours of schools I didn’t get to visit. It was really busy then, but it’s calmed down a bit so it’s been a lot better.”
Alt’s father, John, played offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984-1996 and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection (’92, ‘93). He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2002.
Alt’s older brother, Mark, has played professional hockey since 2010 and is under contract with the Colorado Avalanche.
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