OL Guerby Lambert Embracing Academic and Athletic Challenge at Notre Dame

College life comes quick and Notre Dame freshman offensive lineman Guerby Lambert might feel it more than some of his peers across the country. 

Notre Dame started classes this week and that means the Civil Engineering major is getting an introduction to balancing football and life in the classroom

“It’s been a pretty smooth transition,” Lambert stated. “Everything’s been going good. Classes, everything has been good. I have two classes a day. They’re both about two hours. I’m taking a chemistry class, an intro to Africana Studies class and an academic resilience class.” 

If you followed 6-foot-7, 320-pounder’s recruitment, it won’t shock you Lambert is taking on a challenge off the field. 

Lambert took an official visit to Harvard before making his pledge to Notre Dame, but his ability to succeed on and off the field ultimately won out. 

“I was looking for a school that would fulfill my needs academically and challenge me,” explained Lambert. “Notre Dame and Harvard both are known for their high academics, but Notre Dame more for football than Harvard.

“I chose a great place in Notre Dame because they are going to push me academically and give me the hardest classes, but at the end of the day, it’s going to pay off with a degree.”

It’s not easy to compete with Harvard academically, but that’s why Notre Dame’s staff is efficient at what they do. Lambert saw the academic workload in person during his official visit, but it was a Zoom call with Marcus Freeman, Chad Bowden and Joe Alt that really sold the deal. 

“They didn’t really have to do much,” said Lambert. “They did do a lot, but they didn’t really have to do a lot. After doing my own research, talking to a couple players, especially Joe Alt, because he was in mechanical engineering. I talked with him during the recruiting process and he told me how he was able to do both at the same time while being pushed hard academically.” 

Lambert didn’t fall in love with the recruiting process despite being a highly touted prospect, yet he quickly pointed out the job Freeman and Bowden did during his recruitment. 

“They’re the best recruiting duo in the nation when it comes to coach and recruiting-wise,” Lambert said. “They just complement each other very well. They’re both two charismatic people. They make it hard to say no.” 

Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph also deserves a ton of credit as he was at Catholic Memorial (Mass.) often as he looked to build a relationship in his first year with the program. 

“I talked to him a lot during my recruitment, especially going from Coach (Harry) Hiestand to Coach Rudolph,” Lambert stated. “It was a great transition. Coach Rudolph is a great guy and an even better coach. I’m excited.” 

Lambert visited for Notre Dame’s spring game in April and sat down with Director of Football Performance Loren Landow, which excited him for his future as he learned about the background of the new S&C coach. 

“I could tell he knows what he’s doing,” explained Lambert. “You could just see with the people he’s worked with. He’s worked with a couple of UFC fighters, a couple people in the NFL and just being here the few weeks I have been, you can tell he’s very serious about what he does and he’s very good at what he does.” 

It’s only been a few weeks, but Lambert is also becoming comfortable within the offensive line room as he’s seen the balance between having fun and hard work. 

“They’re definitely a tight group, which is always good in an offensive line room,” Lambert stated. “They’re always cracking jokes and having fun, but when it’s time to get serious, they’re honed in and serious to play Notre Dame football.” 

Lambert will start his career at right tackle and is aware there is a chance for early playing time as Notre Dame’s tackle situation will be a heated competition during fall camp. 

Yet, Lambert also knows he has to be patient and he’s more than fine with it as he has complete faith in the coaching staff. 

“I’m in no rush because I know they’re going to put me in when the time is right,” said Lambert. “I know they’re going to put me in when it’s best for the team. For that reason, I’m in no rush to start. Obviously, I want to play as soon as possible like any player would.” 

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