One of the defining themes of Marcus Freeman’s tenure at Notre Dame has been his emphasis on being a program driven by the offensive and defensive line.
Freeman understands that success in the run game and in wearing down an opponent’s will begins in the trenches.
While much of the offseason buzz has centered around the quarterback competition between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, that spotlight only exists because of the stability and depth Notre Dame has developed in the trenches. With a strong foundation up front, the Irish are in a position to let the quarterback battle play out without compromising the program’s physical identity.
During Notre Dame’s 16-game season, the defensive line became very thin at times due to injuries last fall. The Fighting Irish are now in a position to benefit in 2025 as several players not only developed but also shined when given an opportunity under the brightest of lights.
Notre Dame hasn’t been overly deep at defensive end since the 2019 season, but the Irish can go three-deep at both edge positions, which includes Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore, who are coming off injuries.
“You got two guys with Boubacar and Jordan Botelho that haven't practiced in the spring, but we understand that's production right there,” stated Freeman. “I'm really confident in that room. In terms of the end position, they're practicing at a high level.”
Joshua Burnham, Junior Tuihalamaka and Bryce Young combined for 6.5 sacks a year ago, but showed up in big moments.
All three continued that trend this spring, which sets up a dogfight for playing time this fall, and that’s a great situation for Notre Dame.
“Those guys that are practicing and the guys that aren't practicing right now, they've had a lot of production,” said Freeman. “How do we figure out a way to play them all and give them an opportunity to have success on the football field? It's a great challenge for us. We have a deep defensive end room.”
The interior defensive line will look different in 2025. Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills have been staples inside for the last few years and both will likely hear their names called this weekend in the NFL Draft.
Donovan Hinish, Jason Onye and Gabe Rubio are the proven returnees for Irish, but they’ve got some competition. Notre Dame brought in transfers Jared Dawson and Elijah Hughes, while Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano Jr. appeared to emerge from the spring with momentum.
“You don't replace Rylie Mills and Howard Cross with two guys,” explained Freeman. “I believe we have five, six guys that can really go in there and perform at a high level, where we can replace their production with multiple guys. It's about replacing production, not the person.
“I think about guys like Donnie Hinish and how he's continued to improve, and Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye. Jared Dawson's been doing a good job, and Elijah Hughes and Armel Mukam and (Sean) Sevillano. It's a deep room, but you're not replacing Rylie Mills and Howard Cross with two guys right now. We do have the guys, the depth of guys to hopefully get the job done that we need.”
The offensive line might not be as deep as the defensive line, which is weird to state when discussing Notre Dame.
But that doesn’t mean there is a lack of high-end NFL talent. In fact, Notre Dame should have one of the nation’s top offensive lines in 2025 despite seeing Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler depart the program in January.
Barring injury, Anthonie Knapp, Billy Schrauth, Ashton Craig, Charles Jagsuah and Aamil Wagner will start in Miami and while it’s a group that might not be the most experienced, Freeman isn’t concerned.
“I like that they all have big game, big moment experience,” Freeman said. “They’re all really talented football players - high-ceiling guys. But there are still guys who have maybe played 2-3 games, so they have to continue to develop too. I really am excited because they are high ceiling guys.
“Billy and Aamil are probably as close to the ceiling as you can be and they still have room to go. And then you have three guys who haven’t - Knapp probably played more than anybody- but again, young guys who really have room to continue to improve, who have all started for us. That’s what excites me.”
Freeman usually plays off a set starting lineup, but he didn’t hide the fact that Notre Dame knows its five starters coming out of the spring, which will allow Mike Denbrock to build his offense from the inside out.
“Those are five guys, we would assume those are your five starters, and then the depth of the room is really impressive and credit to Coach (Joe) Rudolph for the job he’s done in recruiting. We’ve had some really good young guys and guys who maybe haven’t played who had a great spring.
“I think about a guy like Joe Otting, who took a lot of reps with the ones. Sullivan Absher and Guerby (Lambert) until he got hurt. I’m sure I’m missing some guys, but the depth of that offensive line room is really impressive.”
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