Revamped Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher ready to prove he's worth his weight
Through two seasons at Notre Dame, right tackle Blake Fisher endured one serious knee injury, gained experience through 15 starts and lost 30-40 pounds.
The last 5-10 pounds of that weight loss came since the end of the Fisher’s sophomore season in December with the help of director of football performance Matt Balis. Fisher entered spring football at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds.
“It was just about getting my body right, eating the right things and just moving better,” Fisher said. “I still had some baby fat on me and now, this offseason, I feel I got a lot of that off me. Now I'm getting bigger from here. It's getting bigger, stronger and faster.”
The number on the scale isn’t the greatest concern for Fisher. He’s more interested in his lean body mass composition. Fisher did opt to make some significant changes to his diet by limiting his intake of late-night food, fried food and McDonald’s.
"It was really just watching what I eat,” Fisher said, “how much I eat, because I'm a big guy and I love to eat.”
Fisher can trade his love for eating food for a love for eating up defenses. The newest version of Fisher, entering his third season out of Avon (Ind.) High, could be the best version.
"I actually feel stronger than I did last year and we still have the summer to go,” he said. “My biggest thing is being as dominant as I can. Run blocking is something we have a standard about here, and that's blowing people off the ball. That's something I love doing.
“Continuing to get stronger and stronger to make that easier on myself and getting the backs through there, because we want our backs to have a great year."
New Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph is certainly familiar with Fisher’s work last season through film study, but Rudolph didn’t arrive in South Bend demanding Fisher change his body. Fisher finished last season with the second-best run blocking grade (71.8) from Pro Football Focus on Notre Dame’s offensive line behind left tackle Joe Alt (91.0).
“He feels really good,” Rudolph said. “He feels confident. He's added good weight. That's kind of what spring’s for. You want to kind of get a feel for that.
“He might feel like, 'Man, I want to be five pounds heavier' or 'This is perfect.' That's kind of what it is. I liked the way he played last year, and I like the way he's worked and progressed all spring. It works well for him.”
Fisher likes the way his body has held up through spring practice at his current weight.
"I feel a little bit more agile,” Fisher said. “Moving around more, I feel I'm more elusive, I can get off quicker and move around. I just feel better.
“I'm not gassed. I can just go and go at 100 miles per hour all the time. That's what I need for my game to be dominant."
The agility should come in handy for some of the blocking schemes Rudolph has implemented with new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker. Tackles like Fisher can pull around the edge or create a convoy downfield.
“Getting on the edge against those skinny guys is time for us to take advantage of our athletic ability and strength to give the backs and those receivers a lane,” Fisher said. “It's definitely a lot of fun being able to get out in space a little bit more.”
Though Rivals rated Fisher as a five-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 6 offensive tackle in the 2021 class, his counterpart Alt has been the more heralded player for Notre Dame. Alt, a former three-star recruit in the same class as Fisher, was named an All-American by multiple publications following last season.
Fisher, who actually beat out Alt and others as the week one starter at left tackle in 2021, still has the potential to be viewed in the same regard as Alt. Fisher’s 14 starts at right tackle came after he recovered from a torn meniscus he suffered in that 2021 season opener at Florida State. During Fisher’s absence, Alt emerged as a reliable left tackle.
Now both of them are leaning on each other and Notre Dame’s defensive ends to best prepare to be elite. That includes Ohio State graduate transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste at defensive end — a player they saw in small doses in last year’s season opener.
"He is really explosive off the edge. He has a really good first step,” Fisher said. “That brings a level of good competition between me and Joe and him and obviously all the other defensive guys on the line of scrimmage. We see that here and there throughout the season, guys who have a really good first step. Him being one of them helps us throughout practice in that competition."
In an offseason Fisher knew he’d be preparing with a new guard to his left — last year’s starting right guard Josh Lugg is chasing an NFL career after six ND seasons — he’s also preparing with his third offensive line coach in three seasons.
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Harry Hiestand, who returned to Notre Dame for a second stint that lasted just one season before retiring in February, let Fisher and the rest of the offensive line with some parting words.
"Continue to improve, continue to be better and continue to be who I am,” Fisher said. “The standards don't change. What we do every day doesn't change. The standard’s been set. It's been set forever now. It's just continuing to do what we do and what we do best and improve on it.
“There wasn't anything special. It wasn't any lullabies or anything like that. He did what was best for him, and he's obviously still here for us. All positive things. Nothing wrong with what he did. He did what’s best for him and congratulations to him.”
In getting used to how Rudolph likes to operate, Fisher has been introduced to some different drills with similar goals to the ones Hiestand used. One used by Rudolph involves an exercise ball that designed to mimic the balance required at the point of collision without the physical toll those collisions can take.
“There are some differences in their coaching and how they coach and some of the things they teach us to do, but it's all for the same reason,” Fisher said. “Obviously, getting your feet across the line of scrimmage, getting movement, finishing, it's all kind of the same thing just kind of taught differently."
Though the right guard competition remains ongoing with a late-spring surge from junior Rocco Spindler, graduate senior Andrew Kristofic took most of the reps alongside Fisher this spring.
“He really sets up things nice for me,” Fisher said of Kristofic. “I love playing next to him. He's aggressive. He's tough. He comes to work every day. It's chemistry, time and continuing to work together after practice, before practice and coming back in the afternoon.”
Fisher’s two-year physical transformation should prove he’s willing to put in the extra work to achieve a goal. He’s changed his lifestyle so much that keeping weight off hasn’t been an issue. Opposing defenders will learn later this year if they can keep his weight off of them.
"It's been pretty easy to maintain my weight,” Fisher said. “It's harder for me to put weight on now, because I've gotten so used to [my diet]. If I eat too much fried food, then my stomach will get to acting up.
“It’s not too bad. I feel like it's paid off because on the weekends, I can eat whatever I want without any worries. It's probably harder to gain weight than it is to lose it.”
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