Audric Estimé’s record-setting Notre Dame career has reached its end, the junior running back both opting out of the Sun Bowl against Oregon State on Dec. 29 and declaring for the NFL draft on Thursday evening, as has been widely expected he would do since the preseason.
“I want to start by saying how thankful I am to be a part of such a great and loving community like Notre Dame,” Estimé wrote on Twitter. “Playing in front of the best fans in the world every Saturday was a dream come true. ...
“While I won’t be playing in the Sun Bowl, I do plan to be in El Paso to support my Notre Dame family.”
Estimé ran for 1,341 yards this season and set an Irish record with 18 rushing touchdowns. He ends the season just 96 yards short of the single-season Notre Dame record of 1,437 rushing yards, set by Vagas Ferguson in 11 games in 1979.
Estimé ends his Irish career with 2,321 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, adding one more score through the air.
Heading to the NFL after his junior season makes sense even in the age of name, image and likeness payments. Conservatively, let’s suggest Estimé is drafted halfway through the third round in the spring. The 15th pick of last year’s third round, tight end Tucker Kraft to the Green Bay Packers, received a four-year contract worth $5.54 million, including a guaranteed signing bonus of $1 million. Add in his 2023 salary and Kraft should pocket $2 million this season.
The best-case NIL scenario for any college player tops out around $1 million, if that.
Add in the fact that a running back has only so many carries on his body before the NFL effectively stops paying him exorbitant amounts of money, and the more of those Estimé can log at the next level, the better for him.
Audric Estime with an unbelievable run. Breaking Duke hearts everywhere . Note Dame leads m. Under one minute left #NotreDame #Duke #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/b2vf6ZFSuW
— CFB Saturday Slate w/ Mick N Bus (@CFB_SatSlate) October 1, 2023
Without Estimé, Notre Dame still has four running backs it can turn to against Oregon State’s decent run defense, ranking No. 53 in expected points added per rush against. Frankly, that is the half of the Beavers’ defense that the Irish should attack, with or without Estimé.
Running back may be the one position that Notre Dame has no need to look for on the transfer market. All of veteran Devyn Ford, current sophomores Jadarian Price and Gi’Bran Payne, and freshman Jeremiyah Love are expected back in South Bend next season.
Love took the most carries this season, behind Estimé of course, turning 56 rushes into 346 yards and one touchdown. Price may be best of the group at the moment, but he was on a snap count for most of the season as he recovers from an Achilles injury suffered in the summer of 2022, an injury that is best treated with a reduced workload even a year later.
Logically, the Irish will feature both Love and Price while keeping Payne involved, as well, but if one receives a bulk of the action in El Paso, consider him the frontrunner to be the lead back in 2024, as well.
Thank you Notre Dame!💚💚 pic.twitter.com/vL4qwBStnx
— Audric Estime (@AudricEstime) December 14, 2023
INTO THE NFL DRAFT WITH ELIGIBILITY REMAINING
Linebacker Marist Liufau
Linebacker JD Bertrand
Right tackle Blake Fisher
Left tackle Joe Alt
Cornerback Cam Hart
Running back Audric Estimé
OUTGOING TRANSFERS
Receiver Tobias Merriweather
Receiver Rico Flores Jr.
Receiver Chris Tyree
Receiver Braylon James
Tight end Holden Staes
Center Zeke Correll
Defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah
Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina
Safety Ramon Henderson
Safety Antonio Carter
Corrnerback Ryan Barnes
Offensive lineman Michael Carmody
INCOMING TRANSFERS
Quarterback Riley Leonard
Receiver Kris Mitchell
Receiver Beaux Collins
Defensive back Jordan Clark
Kicker Mitch Jeter