Audric Estimé leaves college football after three years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which ranks him among the best in school history. After a slow start to his career in South Bend, the talented running back became one of the best in the nation.
His college stats showcase how Estimé was one of the most productive backs in college football and how he took his opportunity to evolve into one of the program’s best-ever backs.
Audric Estimé Plays Backup as a Freshman
Estimé’s football journey began at Saint Joseph Region Head School in New Jersey, where he was a highly sought-after four-star recruit. He committed to Michigan State and was ready to play under Mel Tucker.
However, once he met Notre Dame’s academic requirements, the Irish made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“They told me they don’t have a back over 205 pounds,” Estimé told NJ.com. “I’m fast but also a big back. So, I would come in and be that big contributor they are looking for.”
However, Estimé’s first year with the Irish didn’t provide him the expected playing time. With Kyren Williams as the feature back, the New Jersey product had to compete in a stacked running back room that included Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree.
As a result, Estimé only had seven rushing attempts during the season, and he had to wait until Week 11 against Georgia Tech to get his first touches. He rushed for 61 yards on six attempts and didn’t get another shot until the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, where he had one carry for negative yardage.
Rushing Attempts: 7
Rushing Yards: 60
Rushing Touchdowns: 0
Estimé’s Breakout Sophomore Season
With Williams declaring for the NFL Draft, Notre Dame employed a running back-by-committee approach to its rushing attack in 2022. Estimé split reps with Diggs and Tyree, who both had over 100 rushing attempts, but it was a breakout year for the New Jersey native.
Estimé’s first start for the Irish came against Ohio State in Week 1 of his sophomore campaign, where he scored the first touchdown of his college career.
The running back continued to get a substantial number of carries, and in Week 4 against North Carolina, Estimé had the first 100-yard game of his career, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Tar Heels.
In total, Estimé had three games with more than 100 yards in 2022, leading Notre Dame in rushing yards with 920. He also led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns, the 10th most in a single season by a Fighting Irish back.
Rushing Attempts: 156
Rushing Yards: 920
Rushing Touchdowns: 11
Receiving Attempts: 9
Receiving Yards: 135
Receiving Touchdowns: 1
Estimé’s Record-Setting Junior Season
Estimé entered 2023 as one of the top returning backs in the country, and his junior season lived up to expectations.
Starting all 12 games, he set career highs in rushing attempts (210), rushing yards (1,341) and rushing touchdowns (18). Averaging 6.4 yards per carry, the Irish running back was one of the most productive in the nation.
Estimé’s strong start to the season saw him tally 16 carries for 96 yards in the season opener against Navy before he reeled off three games with over 100 yards.
The Notre Dame running back had more than 10 carries in every game of the 2023 season, leading the team in all rushing categories, totaling six games with more than 100 yards.
That included his first career game with over 200 rushing yards, 25 carries for 238 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns in his final college football game against Stanford.
His 1,341 rushing yards were the fifth most in program history in a record-breaking season for the running back.
KEEP READING: Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s Top 10 Returning Players in 2024
Estimé broke the Notre Dame all-time single-season touchdown record with his 18 scores — surpassing a record held by Allen Pinkett (1984) and Vagas Ferguson (1979) — on his way to winning Notre Dame Offensive Player of the Year and receiving second-team All-American honors.
Overall, Estimé leaves South Bend as one of the best running backs in program history. He departs ranked 11th all-time in program rushing yards and seventh in rushing touchdowns.
Rushing Attempts: 210
Rushing Yards: 1,341
Rushing Touchdowns: 18
Receiving Attempts: 17
Receiving Yards: 142
Receiving Touchdowns: 0
Estimé’s Final College Stats
Rushing Attempts: 373
Rushing Yards: 2,321
Rushing Touchdowns: 29
Receiving Attempts: 26
Receiving Yards: 277
Receiving Touchdowns: 1
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