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Notre Dame football: Joe Alt, Xavier Watts earn consensus All-American status

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•12/11/23•

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Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts (left) and Joe Alt (right). (Photos by Greg Swiercz (left) and Matt Cashore (right))

Notre Dame officially has its 109th and 110th consensus All-Americans, building upon what is already a national record. Joe Alt and Xavier Watts added their names to an impressive Irish list Monday.

Alt, a junior left tackle, and Watts, a senior safety, were named first-team All-Americans by the Associated Press. They added that honor onto first-team selections by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Football Writers Association of America. Three first-team nods from the five accredited outlets — the other two being The Sporting News and the American Football Coaches Association — is what a player needs to be named a consensus All-American.

It’s the second straight season Notre Dame has boasted two consensus All-Americans. Tight end Michael Mayer and defensive end Isaiah Foskey made the cut in 2022. Neither of them garnered unanimous status, though. That has not been done since linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah landed on the First Team of all five organizations in 2020. He became the 35th unanimous All-American in Notre Dame history, which ranks second behind Alabama (41) and Ohio State (37).

Running back Audric Estimé and defensive tackle Howard Cross III were named second-team AP All-Americans. Cross made the Second Team of all three major outlets so far. This was Estimé’s first time landing on one of the major lists. The AP also recognizes a Third Team, but Notre Dame did not have any players appear on it.

Here is a full look at the three AP All-America teams.

First Team Offense

  • QB: Jayden Daniels, LSU
  • RB: Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State; Cody Schrader, Missouri
  • OT: Joe Alt, Notre Dame; Olu Fashanu, Penn State
  • OG: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State; Zak Zinter, Michigan
  • C: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
  • TE: Brock Bowers, Georgia
  • WR: Malik Nabers, LSU; Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State; Rome Odunze, Washington

First Team Defense/Special Teams

  • DE: Laiatu Latu, UCLA; Jalen Green, James Madison
  • DT — T’Vondre Sweat,Texas; Jer’Zahn Newton, Illinois
  • LB: Payton Wilson, North Carolina State; Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M; Dallas Turner, Alabama
  • CB: Cooper DeJean, Iowa; Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
  • S: Malaki Starks, Georgia; Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
  • DB: Terrion Arnold, Alabama
  • All-purpose: Travis Hunter, Colorado
  • K: Graham Nicholson, Miami (Ohio)
  • P: Tory Taylor, Iowa

Second Team Offense

  • QB: Michael Penix Jr., Washington
  • RB: Audric Estime, Notre Dame; Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
  • OT: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State; JC Latham, Alabama
  • OG: Tate Ratledge, Georgia; Clay Webb, Jacksonville State
  • C: Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
  • TE: Dallin Holker, Colorado State
  • WR: Troy Franklin, Oregon; Malik Washington, Virginia; Luther Burden III, Missouri

Second Team Defense/Special Teams

  • DE: Jonah Elliss, Utah; Jared Verse, Florida State
  • DT: Byron Murphy II, Texas; Howard Cross III, Notre Dame
  • LB: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson; Jason Henderson, Old Dominion; Jay Higgins, Iowa
  • CB: Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo; Beanie Bishop Jr., West Virginia
  • S: Tyler Nubin, Minnesota; Caleb Downs, Alabama
  • All-purpose: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
  • K: Jose Pizano, UNLV
  • DB: Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
  • P: Matthew Hayball, Vanderbilt

Third Team Offense

  • QB: Bo Nix, Oregon
  • RB: Blake Corum, Michigan; Kimani Vidal, Troy
  • OT: Javon Foster, Missouri; Troy Fautanu, Washington
  • OG: Christian Haynes, UConn; Luke Kandra, Cincinnati
  • C: Zach Frazier, West Virginia
  • TE: Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
  • WR: Ricky White, UNLV; Brian Thomas Jr., LSU; Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

Third Team Defense/Special Teams

  • DE: Chop Robinson, Penn State; Bralen Trice, Washington
  • DT: Kris Jenkins, Michigan; Braden Fiske, Florida State
  • LB: Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State; Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington; Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
  • CB: Ricardo Hallman, Wisconsin; T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
  • S:Trey Taylor, Air Force; Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
  • All-purpose: third-year, Texas
  • K: Will Reichard, Alabama
  • DB: Sebastian Castro, Iowa
  • P: James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State

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