Even though the start of the regular season for college football will still be more than ten weeks away, it was announced on Tuesday that Notre Dame has three players deemed preseason All-Americans by seasoned college football writer Phil Steele. Steele is a member of the Associated Press and has written extensively about college football.
The following is a statement made by the athletic department at Notre Dame:
The junior offensive lineman Joe Alt was named for the first team on Phil Steele’s 2023 Preseason All-America team for college football. He was one of three football student-athletes from the University of Notre Dame to be honored with a spot on one of the four teams. Benjamin Morrison, a sophomore cornerback, and Michael Vinson, a graduate student long snapper, were selected for the second team. In 2022, Morrison was a freshman selected to the All-America team.
At the end of the 2022 season, 12 separate publications named Alt to their first or second-team of All-America, and Pro Football Focus rated him as the best offensive lineman in the country. Alt’s accolades came from his play on the offensive line.
Alt was a part of the offensive line, which allowed 2,457 running yards in 2022, an average of 4.6 yards per carry, 25 rushing touchdowns, and seven performances of 200 yards or more.
One of the late-season breakout stars in college football in 2022 was Morrison, one of the reasons Notre Dame defeated No. 5 Clemson with a score of 35-14. Morrison also picked intercepted two passes and returned one for 96 yards and a touchdown.
The first-year player then tied for the Notre Dame single-game record by picking off three passes during a blowout of Boston College, including two in the first round. After that, he capped off a fantastic rookie year by contributing an interception to the team’s victory in the Gator Bowl against South Carolina.
At the end of the 2022 season, Morrison ended with 33 tackles, 22 solo stops, and four pass breakups. He started nine of the 13 games played during the year and participated in all 13.
In 2022, Vinson, a first-team AFCA All-America and Patrick Mannelly Award finalist did not miss a kick, helping the Irish go 43-for-43 on point-after-touchdown kicks and 13-18 on field goals. Vinson made the inaugural AFCA All-America team in the previous season.