2025 proved to be a pivotal year of growth for Sullivan Absher.
The North Carolina native entered fall camp expecting to lock down the starting right guard job. Instead, things quickly shifted.
Absher found himself in a heated competition with Guerby Lambert that extended into the season opener at Miami.
“Heading into full camp, I think I've got the job locked down,” Absher recalled. “Guerby comes out and has a hell of a fall camp. I was nothing but supportive of him. We were rotating in versus Miami.”
Rather than letting the setback derail him, Absher used it as a turning point.
“I think it was a great year for me to take a step back and finally realize what I truly need to improve on to get myself to a point where I can become a guy that this program can rely on over and over again and not have to worry about being inconsistent.”
The season was far from lost as Absher started the final five games of the year, replacing left guard Billy Schrauth.
And for Absher, those reps were everything.
“Game reps, you can't really describe them,” Absher explained. “You can't really truly replicate that on the practice field. It's just such a higher intensity that you need to have out on the game field. I think that will do dividends for me coming into next year, just having that experience, knowing what to expect, being caught up to the speed of the game.”
He also gained confidence last fall. Absher knows he can play at this level and that matters.
“I learned that I can do more things than I gave myself credit for, which is why that confidence plays such a big deal,” said Absher. “Just getting out there and trusting yourself and trusting in your abilities, your coaching, your teammates. Trust is everything. If you can trust your teammates, trust your abilities, trust your coaching, you can get out there and do it.”
Now, with a clearer role, Absher is poised to take another step forward.
After spending his first two seasons bouncing between tackle, guard and center, settling in at guard could unlock another level of consistency.
“The thing I love about guard is it's just a brawl every play,” Absher explained. “Outside, you've got a little bit more time before everything happens, and then at center, you've got help on either side, but at guard, it truly is a brawl from the snap to the whistle every play.
“You've got bigger bodies, heavier bodies in there. You've got to have your wits about you, be quick, be sharp, but I love playing inside.”
Despite the constant movement along the line early in his career, Absher believes that versatility has become a strength.
“For me, left and right have really never been that big of an issue,” Absher stated. “Coming up through high school, I bounced on both sides and then I played left guard last year, but started at right guard last year. I've been back and forth, I feel like my whole career here, inside and outside as well. I feel like it's just after I get one or two practices at the new position, then you just kind of take off.”
Notre Dame might have one of the biggest right sides in college football. Absher checks in at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds, while Lambert is listed at 6-foot-7, 325 pounds on the latest roster.
“I love Guerby, man,” smiled Absher. “Guerby’s a quiet guy, but once you get to know him, he's one of the funniest people you'll ever meet. Me and him have been coming in and watching film together because it's two big bodies playing beside each other.
“It's just been a joy to work through all that stuff this spring with him. I love him to death.”
Beyond building chemistry with teammates, Absher has also leaned on the wisdom of those who came before him.
NFL standouts Quenton Nelson, Alex Bars, Liam Eichenberg, and Robert Hainsey have all returned to South Bend this spring, offering guidance to the current group.
One message from Nelson stuck with Absher.
“One thing I'll tell you guys that Quenton told us, he said if you're going to go out there to practice or a game and change your technique based on the defensive lineman, if you're going to let him dictate your technique, that's soft,” said Absher.
“You've got to come into the rep with that intent, with that demeanor that you're the best guy in this facility right now, you're not going to get beat. I'm going to put this guy in the dirt. I'm going to grab him by his chest plate and move him and he can't do anything about that. That's just the mindset that you've got to carry forward.”
It’s a mentality Absher is now embracing and one that could define his next step as a cornerstone of Notre Dame’s offensive line.
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