Notre Dame Notebook: Joe Rudolph Talks Joe Alt, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker

When Notre Dame takes the field for Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game, Fighting Irish fans will get their first chance to see the work of new offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. The veteran offensive assistant was officially announced as the team’s new coach in that position about two weeks before spring practice kicked off on March 22.

Rudolph has coached the position since the start of his seven-year stint as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator in 2015. Two returning starters from last year’s line, left tackle Joe Alt and center Zeke Correll, will be with the Gold team in Saturday’s scrimmage, while the other starter, right tackle Blake Fisher, will be with the Blue (although many linemen may play for both teams).

Of the three, Fisher is likely to look the most different. The rising junior has trimmed down 40 pounds since his freshman season.

"I just think he feels really good,” Rudolph said of the slimmer and quicker-footed Fisher. "I think he feels confident. I think he's added good weight. I think that's kind of what spring is for. You want to kind of get a feel for that. He might feel like, 'Man, I want to be five pounds heavier' or 'This is perfect.' I think that's kind of what it is, but I liked the way he played last year and I like the way he's worked and progressed all spring. I think it works well for him.”

Fisher is joined on the Blue line by potential right guard starter Andrew Kristofic, while left guard candidate Billy Schrauth is with the Gold. Rudolph recently shared thoughts on some of them.

Billy Schrauth

Rudolph is familiar with Schrauth, a native of Campbellsport, Wis., because Rudolph recruited the former four-star recruit when he was at Wisconsin. Schrauth was rated as the No. 3 guard prospect in the nation and No. 3 player overall in the state of Wisconsin in the 2022 recruiting class, plus he earned a Top 100 player grade from Irish Breakdown.

Schrauth was one of a handful of Irish offensive lineman who saw no action on Saturday’s last season behind veteran guards Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg, but the 6-4½, 304-pound sophomore is in position to start at left guard between Alt and Correll this season.

"I think what is different about Billy is he's got an edge,” Rudolph offered. "He's got an edge that truly brings a feeling of physicality, a toughness, a grit. He's a young man, where all of the things that are going on with the movements and patterns and stuff, I have to really help him not to get lost in all that, you know what I mean? It's a lot. You kind of hope to teach him the fundamentals. So, you can teach him the rule, and then you can get him good at that. And then you go, 'Hey, now look, man, this can happen.' Now you're teaching them the exception to the rule, instead of maybe Day One, when there's seven exceptions to the exception.

"So you (have to) calm him down, go, 'Hey, look, I know, this was a tough look. But here's the detail in it,' Get him to trust the process of it. If we can not guess, and we truly trust our eyes, our eye progression, we understand the communication and the detail within the call. Every rep is valuable. When we're guessing, we just wasted a lot of time. Because guessing won't get you where you want to get.”

Joe Alt

Alt is heading into his second full season as Notre Dame’s starting left tackle after starting the last eight games of his true freshman season in 2021. He earned First Team All-American honors from five different outlets last season and Second Team recognition from seven others. He is already projected as Notre Dame’s next offensive lineman to go in the first round of the NFL Draft a year from now. Not bad for a former high school tight end.

"There is a skill set,” Rudolph said of Alt. "Some guys just have amazing talent. Amazing athleticism, amazing size, and then there’s some guys that just have to quality of leadership and grit, and the way they’re going to get it done in the moment. They’re going to be a great leader 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.”

Tosh Baker

The No. 2 left tackle behind Alt, Baker found himself in a numbers game last season and this spring. He played in all 13 games last season, primarily on the field goal and extra point units, after making starts against Purdue and Wisconsin and playing in nine other games as a sophomore in 2021. Baker has two seasons of remaining eligibility entering the 2023 season.

"I think two things: one, you have to concentrate on always having a plan together in terms of what are the things you need to address,” Rudolph said of Baker’s current focus. "I’m not worried about who’s in front of me, I’m worried about the things I have to get better at. Then I think you have to have trust that there’s a vision that sees you and is always has a vision of trying to put the five best guys on the field together. I think those things probably have to go hand-in-hand. That’s what I’ve shared with him along the way—told him I’d get most of his reps at tackle, but he’s absolutely someone that could go inside and that’s what we’re working through (in spring practice).”

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