Will Black's development hasn't simply given Notre Dame another option at offensive tackle.
It's given offensive line coach Joe Rudolph greater flexibility to arrange the rest of his unit, including moving Anthonie Knapp inside to left guard as the Irish continue searching for the combination that gives them their best five.
That search remains a work in progress with three weeks remaining before the Irish open the season against Wisconsin, but Rudolph likes what he sees on the left side.
Black and Knapp have spent preseason camp working next to each other at left tackle and left guard, respectively, and the relationship between the two appears to be developing along with their individual games.
"I really like the way Knapp and Black have continued to progress, the way they communicate," Rudolph said. "They're kind of feeding off each other a little bit. Like you could see it kind of growing."
The combination required some reshuffling.
Knapp started at left tackle last season, but Rudolph entered the offseason believing one of Notre Dame's five best linemen would ultimately come from a tackle spot. Black's ability gave the Irish the opportunity to move Knapp inside in a search to improve the entire group.
"I thought our fifth best guy was probably going to come from a tackle," Rudolph said. "The way that Will moves at times, he's got a skill set that's pretty good, pretty conducive to being on the edge."
Knapp brings something different.
"I thought that what Anthony did best was like, he's a prick," Rudolph said. "He don't want to lose and he ain't going to lose and that's him. I think that's transferable to different positions."
Knapp's move isn't just a way to get Black into the lineup. It's part of Rudolph's larger philosophy in constructing an offensive line.
Individual positions matter, but the ultimate goal is to identify the five players who form the best unit, even if that requires somebody making a sacrifice or playing somewhere different than he has in the past.
"If you're going to be Notre Dame and claim that we're all in for each other and band of brothers, five as one, all that, then you’ve really got to make sacrifices at times to do whatever needs to be done in order to get our best group out there and be the best o-line we can be for this team," Rudolph said.
Black is a crucial piece in making the shift possible.
"I think his movement skills and overall strength levels," Rudolph said of what has stood out about Black. "Then he plays next to a guy that never wants to lose, like there's some pressure on him, like I better get this s*** right.”
For Knapp, playing guard presents different challenges than playing tackle and Rudolph has watched him work through those adjustments.
"There's a learning curve," Rudolph acknowledged. "He took to it pretty easy. The stuff that came easy he had. Sometimes there's a little bit of a breath where you go, ‘Oh s***, I don't know everything. I got to get this down. This is different.’
"I think he's had a good wrestling match with that in the spring and a little bit so far. But I really like the way he's progressed. He wants to find a way to win and do it right. And that drive is perfect."
Black's own experience playing guard may actually help ease Knapp's transition.
"The advantage to that is when I tell Will, like, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do to complement the guard right here,’ He gets it," Rudolph said. "He's been a guard. There's little ways you work your combos. There's little ways that you go in pass protection. There's certain ways that you get stuff done.
"We talk about if you can do your job great, the right way, you can do it consistently, you've got a pretty good group. If you can do your job the right way consistently, if you can do it in a way where you make the guy next to you better, now you've got a special group. Now you've got a group that understands how they work, how they work together and how to be the best for the guy next to them."
Black and Knapp represent one piece of a larger puzzle Rudolph is still putting together.
Guerby Lambert appears established at right tackle, while Sullivan Absher is now the favorite at right guard after Matty Augustine’s injury. Rudolph has also mentioned Joe Otting, Cam Herron and Styles Prescod among the players creating competition within the room.
Ashton Craig adds another variable as he works his way back from his second ACL injury. He has been cleared and can play both center and guard, while Otting's ability to work at center gives Rudolph additional flexibility when considering different combinations.
"There's two things, right?" Rudolph said. "There's prospects, like how good is a certain prospect at tackle, guard or center? How well does a group play together? How well do they complement the people that surround them? And then are you all on the same page as a group?"
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