Notre Dame will start two freshmen on the offensive line in the Fiesta Bowl.
Blake Fisher, the opening-day starter at left tackle, will step in at right tackle in place of fifth-year senior Josh Lugg when the No. 5 Irish (11-1) play No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ESPN), per Notre Dame’s initial depth chart for the game. Lugg will not play due to a meniscus tear suffered early in bowl practice, head coach Marcus Freeman said Monday.
On the other side, freshman Joe Alt is on track to start his eighth straight game at left tackle.
The Fiesta Bowl will mark Fisher’s first action since the Sept. 5 opener at Florida State. He won Notre Dame’s left tackle job in fall camp, but suffered a meniscus injury in the second quarter against the Seminoles that knocked him out of the regular season. He returned to full participation in practice earlier in December, which then gave Freeman some hope he could play in the bowl.
“I didn’t know going into bowl practices that he was going to play,” Freeman said. “He’s ready to help us.”
Even though Fisher was the No. 1 choice at left tackle to begin the year, Notre Dame is sticking with Alt on the left side for this game to keep the shuffling on the line to a minimum. All 505 of Alt’s snaps on the offensive line have come at left tackle. He was Notre Dame’s fourth left tackle starter in the first six games, but has stabilized the critical position after five games where injuries and inconsistency marred it.
“We wanted to put [Fisher] on the right side because Joe Alt has been an asset on the left side,” Freeman said.
Lugg had started the prior 12 games at right tackle and played 821 snaps, which was the second-most among Irish players in the regular season.
Fisher’s listed backup is junior Quinn Carroll, not sophomore Michael Carmody. The latter started at left tackle twice early in the season, but is not on the depth chart. Alt’s backup remains sophomore Tosh Baker, who also started two games at left tackle in September.
Alt, Fisher and the rest of Notre Dame’s offensive line will face a stout Oklahoma State defensive front that leads the country in sacks per game (4.15) and tackles for loss per game (8.69).
Other depth chart notes
• Notre Dame listed freshman Logan Diggs and sophomore Chris Tyree as co-starters at running back, replacing Kyren Williams, who declared for the NFL Draft. Freeman said freshman Audric Estime could get carries as well.
• Freshman Jayden Thomas made his first appearance on the two-deep. He’s the No. 2 field receiver behind Braden Lenzy. He has played in each of the last three games, totaling 14 snaps.
• Jordan Botelho, who has played defensive line and linebacker this year, is listed as the No. 3 rover.
• Freshman Will Schweitzer appeared on the depth chart for the first time, as the No. 3 vyper defensive end. He has played in three games.
• Freshman cornerback Ryan Barnes is on the two-deep for the first time this year. He’s the No. 2 corner behind Cam Hart. Barnes has played in three games, mainly on special teams.
• Sophomore Ramon Henderson will start at field safety for the fourth straight game. Classmate Xavier Watts is listed as his backup. Senior Houston Griffith remains the starter at strong safety, with senior DJ Brown as the No. 2.
That is the continuation of the status quo the last three games, though prior depth charts did not reflect it. Henderson moved from cornerback in November, while Watts moved from rover and wide receiver.
• Senior wide receiver Matt Salerno will replace Williams as the punt returner.
Full Notre Dame Fiesta Bowl depth chart
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