From Peanut to Protector: How Joe Rudolph Helped Shape Anthonie Knapp’s Grit at Notre Dame

Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and left tackle Anthonie Knapp have a unique history. 

The short story is an undersized Knapp made his way to Virginia Tech for a summer camp, and the rest is history, as Rudolph was the first Power 4 conference coach to offer the Roswell (Ga.) native. 

That day in Blacksburg is still vivid for both.

“Camp’s always a great indicator of not only how someone plays,” explained Rudolph. “It's a great indicator of their balance or change of direction.

“He had a blast at camp. Dude competed his butt off. He was a peanut. He was probably like 230 pounds, you know what I mean? But this dude works and if he cares about it enough, he'll get his body there. I just remember him loving the game and being really a great athlete at that spot.” 

Knapp arrived with a group of friends, but it didn’t take long for him to stand out, especially during one of Rudolph’s signature drills.

“He always does this gauntlet drill,” recalled Knapp. “Basically, it's a one-on-one rep for O-line and D-line. If you win at one position, you go to the next. I just remember I just kept on winning. I just kept on going through. I think that stood out to him.” 

The relationship between the two may have started that day, but now, Knapp views Rudolph as much more than just a coach. In fact, Knapp admitted he looks up to Rudolph as a man. 

“He's a great mentor,” stated Knapp. “He always starts his meetings off not only about football, but he helps us as men in life, helps us grow. He gives us these quotes that really help us and it really sticks with me.

“It keeps me focused and grounded rather than just always focusing on football. He gets down to football, but he's a great mentor. He really cares about us. This is a passion for him and it just makes us want to follow him even more. I think he's a great leader.” 

College football isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. The Irish discovered this in the first two weeks of the season. 

In week one, Miami’s defensive line sent a strong message and Notre Dame’s tackles had one of the toughest nights in recent memory. 

Knapp admitted he’d never experienced anything like it and it was an awakening moment. 

“It's the worst when you try this process and you work your tail off only to find out it wasn't good enough,” Knapp said. “You feel like you failed your teammates. I had to go right back to that drawing board and understand that what I think is working hard isn't hard enough to be reliable for my teammates. I really took that to heart because it hurts. That's the worst feeling. I never want to feel it again.” 

The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder received his coaching points from Rudolph, but he also sought advice from former Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. 

“He helped me out and said to focus on the process and understand things happen,” Knapp stated. “You gotta go back to the drawing board. Things you thought would work, don't. You've got to understand, you've got to do more, and I think that was the biggest thing for me.” 

Rudolph, who played at Wisconsin and in the NFL, understood exactly what Knapp was feeling after that Miami game. He didn’t sugarcoat the performance, but he did offer perspective.

“When you go through camp, you get very used to playing your team,” explained Rudolph. “You get very used to the bodies, the styles, the pass rush, whatever it is that you go against every day. You get into a little bit of a comfort of, ‘I can do it this way.’ You don't really appreciate what you do in game planning to play the next team. 

“I think we've learned. I had a chance to learn about them more and they had a chance to learn a little bit about themselves more. We made some adjustments and that's what good lines do.” 

Some have questioned if Knapp’s best position is at left tackle and Rudolph would agree.  

When he arrived at Notre Dame, Knapp was training at center and guard, but following an injury to Charles Jagusah, Rudolph had to adjust his plan. 

“It became apparent as a true freshman that he was our best option at left tackle and he played to that,” said Rudolph. “Going into this year, it just so happened with some of the injuries and some of the guys working through some things, he had the most reps out there, and he's just done a hell of a job out there.” 

Knapp, who was PFF’s highest graded left tackle last week, is open to any position on the line. In fact, he’s told Rudolph he’ll play any position and he studies all five positions just in case. 

“I tell coach all the time, wherever you need me, I'll play, regardless of the situation,” stated Knapp. “I just try to learn the game as much as I can, be smart and study film. I think that helps me a lot. I'd say the weight room definitely helps me a lot, being able to be strong and even lifting throughout the season, trying to get stronger can give me an edge.

“I'd say smartness, understanding plays, knowing the defense I'm going against, so on the schemes I'm going against, studying those players has definitely given me an edge to be out there.” 

Everyone wants a Joe Alt at left tackle, but that’s not the hand Notre Dame or Knapp have been dealt and that’s more than fine. 

“Those guys do a hell of a job for us and I’d go to battle with them anywhere,” said Rudolph. “I love them. A lot of guys aren't Joe Alt. That's why he was the fifth pick in the draft.”

Notre Dame is now fully in a push for the College Football Playoff and the lessons Knapp learned as a freshman will be valuable as the pressure ramps up. 

There are some similarities and key differences between the 2024 and 2025 Irish, but the common theme is the end goal. 

“The biggest personality change is that we had to kind of find ourselves throughout those first weeks,” said Knapp. “Once we found our gel, we really got that brotherhood. I think it was the most important thing.

“In all honesty, I don't think the personality has changed that much. I think the mindset's still the same. The goal's still the same. We just bust our butts in practice.” 

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