Recruiting Report: Joe Alt (2021)

Position changes happen in the offseason all the time. Usually, a position change occurs because the team needs help at a position, or the player moved is buried on the depth chart, but the coaches want him somewhere on the field. In the case of Totino-Grace’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18031" first="Joe" last="Alt"]</strong>, the position change came because of a massive growth spurt. "Between my sophomore and junior years’," Alt said. "I went from 6’2" to 6’7" at the start of my junior season. That was the biggest reason I switched positions. I have good length and am physical." Alt played quarterback until ninth grade and moved to defense his sophomore year. "I think my strength at tight end is my run blocking – my ability to move my feet on blocks. I finish blocks well and play to the whistle. My length and reach help me in pass blocking." With his limited experience at the position, Alt knows he has plenty of room to improve. "I need to play lower. I have to get better at letting my hips come through with my blocking. I also need to work on my off the ball agility and quickness. I can be more physical with my hands blocking and in the passing game – getting off the line." As a team – the Eagles finished with a 6-2 regular season and won a playoff game. "I thought we played pretty well most of the season," the junior said. "As the season went on, we got better as a team. Obviously, I didn’t want to lose that early in the playoffs." "On offense," Alt continued, "our run game set up our passing game. We switched our offense to a pro-style offense with more zone schemes. As the season went on, we got used to that, so our run game improved. On defense we had a physical defensive line. I think they helped lead the defense, but when we were physical and playing fast, that is when we were at our best." Alt is a two-sport athlete. "I play basketball in the winter and play in the post. I play good post defense, rebound, and score a couple of points here and there." This spring, Alt was going to lift and play AAU basketball. Obviously, that plan changed. Alt’s training got a boost from his father - former Iowa Hawkeye and Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive tackle John Alt. "When my dad played, he got a bunch of lifting equipment, so we have a whole set in our basement. I have been able to lift pretty hard. There is a park about two minutes away from where I run and do my agility stuff. I haven’t had to alter my training very much." Recruiting – like training – has changed this spring. However, Alt is making the best of it. "It has been a blast," Alt – who enjoys fresh and saltwater fishing – said. "I couldn’t be happier with where I am. It is obviously a weird time. I would have loved to have seen more schools. Right now, recruiting has been more virtual. A lot of Facetime and phone calls with coaches." Alt expects to play tight end, and because the Eagles graduated a lot of defensive linemen, he expects to rotate in on the defensive line. His position in college is also uncertain. "Some schools are looking at me as a tight end," the 6’7" 250-pound junior said. "Some schools are waiting to see how I develop and are recruiting me as a tight end and a tackle. Some schools are recruiting me strictly as a tackle." Before things got shut down, Alt made visits to four Division I programs. Soon after, DI offers started to come. "I went to Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State, and Wisconsin on either game days or actual visits. I have offers from Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Missouri. Stanford and Rutgers have been in contact with me most recently. They like that I am athletic for my size. They like my overall length. With the pedigree my dad has, they can see my body moving me into a tackle." Moving to tackle – if need be – should be no problem for Alt. He has changed positions successfully before and has a pretty good in-house coach in which to learn.