Audric Estimé won’t continue his revenge tour against the Doak Walker Award committee in college football.
Notre Dame’s star running back announced Thursday he will skip No. 16 Notre Dame’s Sun Bowl matchup with No. 19 Oregon State on Dec. 29 and start preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft. Estimé, a junior, will forfeit his final year of college eligibility to pursue an NFL career.
Five fellow Notre Dame starters — quarterback Sam Hartman, left tackle Joe Alt, right tackle Blake Fisher, linebacker Marist Liufau and cornerback Cam Hart — have also announced they will not play in the Sun Bowl as they get a jump on their NFL preparation.
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After Estimé was left off the list of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award, which recognizes the best running back in college football, he responded with a 25-carry, 238-yard, four-touchdown performance in Notre Dame’s 56-23 win at Stanford on Nov. 25 to end the regular season. That will be Estimé’s final game in a Notre Dame uniform.
“I’m not gonna lie, it definitely fueled me,” Estimé said after the Stanford game. “I definitely feel like I’m one of the best running backs in the country, if not the best. I definitely want other people to notice but after today, I feel like a lot of people will notice.”
The 6-foot, 227-pound Estimé finished the regular season with 18 rushing touchdowns, a single-season program record. His 210 carries produced 1,341 rushing yards, the fifth-most in program history. His career total of 2,321 rushing yards ranks No. 11 in the Notre Dame record book.
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Despite the Doak Walker Award voting, Estimé will likely be considered one of the top running backs available in the 2024 draft. Pro Football Focus gives Estimé a rushing grade of 93.5, the top grade among the 79 FBS running backs with at least 139 rushing attempts. He’s ranked No. 7 with 892 rushing yards after contact.
Notre Dame flipped Estimé’s commitment from Michigan State late in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Rivals rated the Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s product as a four-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 6 running back and No. 131 overall in the class.
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