Anchored and Armed: Notre Dame’s Veteran Offensive Line Ready for 2025 Push

It’s no secret Notre Dame boasts one of the best offensive line units in the country.

The Irish return five players with starting experience, though they’ll be without Charles Jagusah for a stretch after he suffered a broken arm in the offseason.

They do get starting center Ashton Craig back, and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from the in-state product.

“It’s great,” stated Rudolph. “Ashton steps right in. He understands what we want and he's a great communicator, a great leader. He's an outstanding football player. He's the anchor inside. The guys trust him. He's the compass and they follow him. He's done a great job so far. I'm really happy where he's at.”

A year ago, one could make the case that Rudolph was on pins and needles entering week one as he was preparing a true freshman to start at left tackle and a first-time starter at right tackle in one of the most hostile environments in the country. 

This year, Rudolph has experience at tackle as Anthonie Knapp and Aamil Wagner return and bring a boatload of experience to the table after fighting for their lives at times last year. 

“I think both those guys fought really hard to get their spots,” Rudolph explained. “It wasn't like a no-brainer coming into camp that that's where they would be and spring ball especially before then. I think they kind of embraced that attitude.

“Now, when you talk, you can't lose anything from the fundamental aspects, but you can kind of add a layer of understanding to things — things that we got to in the year. I think things that we can really come out of camp and have a better grasp of. Those two have been great to work with.”

Knapp’s ascension wasn’t necessarily a surprise to Rudolph as he was the main priority on the recruiting trail when he took the Notre Dame job. 

“I wasn't the only person who saw it, that's for sure,” Rudolph said of Knapp’s freshman year. “Everyone in that room saw it. Every coach saw it. That's why you brought him here. But to see someone flash and then have consistency behind that, that's the rarity of it. I'm real proud of what he's done.

“You talk about overall strength, power, and explosiveness. He kind of leads that group in every one of those areas. He has a lot of those intangibles, but he is also very consistent as a young player and there's a lot of room for him to get better and grow. That's what's fun about getting him in camp for the second time.”

Notre Dame’s right guard spot will likely come down to Sullivan Absher and Guerby Lambert. Both players have played everywhere across the line and the x-factor could end up being healthy. Absher appeared to be limited earlier this week, which could pave the way for Lambert to make a move up the depth chart and slide inside to guard after working at right tackle. 

Rudolph is also making sure he’s building depth on the inside. The program saw firsthand a year ago that injuries can occur quickly. 

The Irish are cross-training a few players at different positions while working highly touted freshman Will Black at right guard. 

“Guerby (and) Will have done really good things there,” Rudolph said. “Sully, obviously, played tackle and guard, has stepped up and done great things there. Chris [Terek] has always been there. Chris is also playing center and has shown the ability to be a really good center, but he's done a really good job at the right guard position. Matty's (Augustine) done tackle and guard already, so it's kind of fun that way.”

On the other side, Rudolph will have veteran Billy Schrauth anchoring left guard. The Wisconsin native has entered camp with a new intensity and Rudolph has even had to tame that down at times. 

“He's always had incredible fire,” explained Rudolph. “That's been him. He's got that fire. He's the guy you want. Like if I asked, ‘Who’s the guy you're taking in the foxhole with you’ to the guys, they're taking him in the foxhole. Now, he's in a role of a leader. As a leader, as ramped up and as fired up as you want to get, you kind of have to do exactly what you need to do to lead. I think he's really embraced that, where he uses that fire not only to get himself up, but pull people along with him.

“He's also found opportunities to be like, ‘OK, I'm going to keep it cool right here and talk to this guy and coach him, make sure he knows where we're going and we're getting there together.’ I think that's been a great growth for him. I think it's shown up in his play as well as the guys around him.” 

There’s also a standard of offensive line play at Notre Dame. The Irish were a semifinalist for the Joe  Moore Award in 2024 and the group wants to bring the massive trophy back to South Bend. 

Rudolph is well aware of the goal and believes his group can do it. 

“I think they believe that and I think I thought the last three groups believed that,” said Rudolph. “It's a battle. It's not always going to be the same five out there. You wish it was, but it's going to be guys stepping in. Can the next guy be just what we need him to be?

“Last year, so many games you were able to do that and I think that group took a lot of pride in reaching their full potential, as coach [Marcus] Freeman says. In the end, that's the fight.”

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