Audric Estimé on Irish Dancing video: 'I can do it all'

Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé is a little bit of a Renaissance man in the college football world. He is a dynamic rusher for the Fighting Irish averaging 118.2 yards per game this season. He hopes to become a lawyer after his football career is over. And he’s a smooth Irish dancer.

Estimé was on Andy Staples’ podcast Tuesday, and Staples asked him about how he was able to quickly become a competent Irish dancer, referencing a video from earlier in the year from when Estimé was in Ireland.

“It’s just that footwork that I got,” Estimé said. “It transmitted from the football field to the dancing floor. Whatever. I can do it all.”

Estimé made two trips to Ireland this year. Once in the spring and once in August for the team’s season opener versus Navy.

The Fighting Irish won the Week 0 contest in dominant fashion. Estimé ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Sam Hartman had 251 passing yards and four touchdowns.

In addition to playing in the game, Notre Dame and Navy each got experience part of the Irish culture and explore the beautiful city of Dublin.

“It’s just embracing the atmosphere and environment,” Estimé said. “They have a great atmosphere, great environment, great culture over there. I’m a big culture guy, and I love experiencing new cultures. That was just a great experience and I get to show off my dancing skills.”

It was the third time Notre Dame has played a college football game in Ireland after 1996 and 2012. The Fighting Irish played Navy all three times and won all three times. The first game was played at Croke Park but the last two were played at Aviva Stadium. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will feature Florida State and Georgia Tech next season.

While there were obviously limitations to how much sightseeing the team could do during its “business trip” across the pond, Estimé said that the trip in the spring was much more open.

“It was a great experience,” Estimé said. “Definitely different from the game…In the spring, we had a lot more free time. We had time to actually explore the whole country of Ireland. It was just a great atmosphere. The people there are amazing. The food there was great, the music. It was just a great atmosphere, and I’ll definitely be back.”