PFF: Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher a breakout player to watch in 2022
If six quarters of performance last fall were any indication, the idea of Notre Dame sophomore offensive tackle Blake Fisher as a breakout star in 2022 exists only because of an injury. The Fiesta Bowl hinted a healthy Fisher might have ended 2021 having already emerged as one of college football’s best young linemen.
Instead, he played just 128 snaps. But they were still plenty captivating.
Fisher won Notre Dame’s opening-day left tackle job as a freshman last year, but tore his meniscus two quarters into his debut and missed the rest of the regular season. He returned for the Fiesta Bowl and started at right tackle.
He showed no signs of rust.
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Notre Dame’s offense ran 91 plays (including nullified ones due to penalties) in that 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State. The Irish threw the ball 68 times. Per Pro Football Focus, the Irish offensive line had 72 pass-blocking opportunities. Fisher allowed one sack and just two quarterback pressures. Against the FBS’ leader in sacks.
That game and Fisher’s first half in the opener at Florida State were a strong enough sales pitch to make a 2022 breakout seem somewhere between highly likely and inevitable. Notre Dame’s players and staff have high expectations for Fisher this year. So do many national college football writers and analysts – among them PFF’s Anthony Treash, who named Fisher one of 31 breakout players to watch this year.
“Fisher was the No. 1-ranked recruit out of Indiana in the 2021 class and earned a starting job right away as a true freshman,” Treash wrote. “Unfortunately for him and the Irish, he suffered a meniscus injury in his first game wearing the Golden Dome, causing him to miss the regular season. However, he was able to make a return for the Fiesta Bowl, where he earned a respectable 70.5 PFF grade across 91 snaps.”
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Fisher’s pass-blocking grade that game was a sturdy 79.9. His agility and awareness were apparent as an early enrollee freshman in the 2021 Blue-Gold Game. That year’s fall camp and 2022 spring practice furthered the optimism. His athleticism and massive frame make him difficult for any rusher to get around on the edge.
“The 6-foot-6, 335-pounder moves exceptionally well for a man his size and possesses a strong punch,” Treash wrote. “Unlike most at his age, he displayed advanced technique and processing in his short time on the field as a true freshman. Notre Dame has been known for being ‘OLU,’ and Fisher has the chance to establish himself as the next great blocker up front for the Irish as he starts at right tackle this fall.”
Fisher remained at right tackle for all of spring practice. Sophomore Joe Alt – who eventually stabilized the left tackle spot Fisher’s injury disrupted – is staying on the left side.
