Notre Dame Football: 5 impactful newcomers for the Irish

4. Blake Fisher, offensive tackle: 

All signs point to Blake Fisher starting left tackle as a true freshman this fall for the Irish. The Avon High School standout is a physical marvel at nearly 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds. Watching Fisher’s high school tape often looks like a dad playing with his young children.

Fisher will likely beat out sophomore Tosh Baker at left tackle because Fisher is more polished as a blocker than Baker and has the ceiling. Anytime your NFL comparison is Trent Williams, there is a lot of upside there. Look for Fisher to anchor the Irish offensive line for the next three or four seasons, barring injury.

After losing four members of the offensive line after last season, Notre Dame was looking not just to replace talent (the NFL drafted three of Notre Dame’s four linemen, and the Lions signed Tommy Kraemer as a free agent) but also to maintain the standard the Irish have set the last four years.

Fisher checks all of those boxes. In addition, the Indiana native is a plug-and-play starter as a true freshman (which is a rarity). This is what the Irish get in Fisher.

Fisher has excellent feet in pass protection for a young man his size and uses his hands well. He is an aggressive mauler in the run game, something Rees and Kelly are sure to love. Fisher is so wide with such good feet; he is near impossible to get around.