Towing the Line: Khari Demos’ Week 0 Line Report & Scouting Recap

Khari Demos joins Matt Waldman's RSP site this season to profile college football's trenches while keeping an eye on standout offensive skill players. This week, Demos dives into the games of Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt and USC guard Alani Noa and puts us on notice with QB Sam Hartman and RB Austin Jones. Fall is almost upon us. The night is arriving faster and stores are already stocked for Halloween. Another batch of goodies is also here for us to feast upon: college football season.  One of the coolest treats of the college football landscape is Week 0. Week 0 can often be a certified payday weekend, meaning Power 5 schools host programs from the Group of 5 in what often are mismatches on the field in exchange for a fine payout. While there was some of that to kick off the 2023 season, we also got to see a few of the best teams (and players) in college football right off the bat. Since I will note a lot of the offensive line work throughout the season, let’s start with arguably the best one in the country: Notre Dame Left Tackle Joe Alt. Towing the Line: LT Joe Alt, Notre Dame The son of Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer John Alt, the North Oaks, MN native has a rare blend of size (6-foot-8, 315 pounds) and athleticism. This makes that much more sense considering the fact that he played tight end in high school and began his career with the Fighting Irish as one. The 2022 First-Team All-American selection is expected to be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. So, a player of his stature should be able to handle his own against a Navy defensive front that had speed to offer, but far less size to combat with Alt and ND’s fellow starters up front. And the big fella did not disappoint with his efforts. But I will say, there are pieces of his game that he will need to address with matchups against the likes of Ohio State, USC, and Clemson still on the slate. What I think he did a much better job of in Week 0 in comparison to what he did at times throughout his first two years in South Bend was finishing blocks. You can see here on tape here at the 13:41, 12:23, 10:23, and 9:05 marks throughout the first quarter against Navy (and shoutout to @DoABarrowRoll on YouTube for some help there) as times when he really anchored in and handled business in the run game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RQilRHoDfg&t=38s https://youtu.be/3RQilRHoDfg?t=67 https://youtu.be/3RQilRHoDfg?t=107 https://youtu.be/3RQilRHoDfg?t=121 This is the peak of what he can be as a road grader with his elite size. The problem, though, is that his rawness and need to continue adding strength to his frame can be very evident at moments in the run game. An example of this would be the two-play stretch here. One thing I will say about Alt is that he almost always covers people up and knows how to cut them off. The issue is that he is more times than not just position blocking when he does that, which can work against the likes of the Navy Midshipmen. https://youtu.be/3RQilRHoDfg?t=38 But ultimately, Pitt, or Louisville, or whoever else ND will see down the line, should offer a stiffer form of competition that may need more than that (not to mention once he makes his way to the NFL). What I will say about Alt is he is a master in pass protection (and the numbers back this up for him). Just look at the footwork and ability to adjust properly to the Midshipmen's stunt upfront in this play. https://youtu.be/3RQilRHoDfg?t=271 The guy is truly a dancing bear, and he projects to be a long-time starting tackle in the NFL who would thrive in an offensive system that prioritizes movement in the run game (i.e. outside zone scheme) as well as a commitment to basing the offense around the passing attack. Alt should be starting for an NFL organization for a decade or more once he makes his NFL debut most likely in 2024. Again, great all-around showing from Alt in Week 0. But it will be interesting to see what he is able ...