Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER W hen Guerby Lambert took his of- ficial visits in June last year, On3's No. 18 overall player and No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2024 class was making his first college trips outside his home state of Massachusetts. Prior to that, he had only been to in-state programs. Lambert traveled to Notre Dame and Ohio State, and took local trips to Boston College and Harvard. "I tried to take everything in. All of it — even football — is new to me," Lambert told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I try to take everything in as it comes, and it was a real blessing." After experiencing the four programs, Lambert took time to mull over his op- tions. He announced his pledge to the Irish Sept. 19. He signed his letter of in- tent with Notre Dame Dec. 20 and will enroll over the summer. "It had a community feel that's simi- lar to Catholic Memorial," Lambert said about comparing Notre Dame to his high school. "The coaches are great. I love the facilities. The academics, too — I know I'm going to get an elite education. And at the same time, I get to play elite foot- ball." Among the factors that Lambert con- sidered during his recruiting process were location, academics and football. Boston College offered a program that is close to home and is good academi- cally but hasn't been up to par in football recently. Harvard is in Boston and is the best of the best academically but plays FCS football. Ohio State has very good foot- ball, and while it's considered the weak- est of the four academically according to U.S. News & World Report, it's a good school but is far from home. Notre Dame is far from home like Ohio State, but the Irish are a powerhouse program with prestigious academics. Lambert hasn't been able to return to South Bend since his official visit in June. He's hoping to get back to the Midwest before his enrollment. "The distance is going to be hard, but with any of the four schools, there would be some kind of challenge," Lam- bert noted. "For Notre Dame, it's the distance, but it's something we'll over- come." Lambert, who plans to major in civil engineering at Notre Dame, may not be able to contribute much as a true fresh- man like Blake Fisher, who enrolled early in 2021. But don't count him out. "I'm extremely excited," Lambert said about beginning his Notre Dame career next summer. "When I get there, I'm go- ing to see what I can do and how they can use me in any way possible. "I'm not going to be developed as I'd be if I were able to come in January, but I'm going to compete and take all the op- portunities given." ✦ Lambert closely considered Boston College, Harvard and Ohio State, but Notre Dame offered exactly what he was looking for — an elite football program paired with an elite education. PHOTO BY KYLE KELLY GUERBY LAMBERT OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 6-6 ∙ 290 CATHOLIC MEMORIAL H.S. BOSTON RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 18 2 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 94 9 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 37 3 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 88 8 1 STATISTICS • Helped Catholic Memorial win the state cham- pionship in 2021 and 2022. • Led Catholic Memorial to a Catholic Conference championship in all four years of his career. NOTABLE • Invited to take part in the 2024 All-American Bowl, but did not participate due to a knee injury. • Named MaxPreps' 2023 Massachusetts Player of the Year. • Earned a spot on the New England Football Journal's first-team All-State offense and the Massa- chusetts High School Football Coaches Association's All-State offense. • Tabbed as the 2023 Catholic Conference Line- man of the Year. • Named All-Scholastic by both The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald in 2023. • From the same high school that produced Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on Sept. 19, 2023. • Will enroll at Notre Dame in the summer. • Closely considered Boston College, Harvard and Ohio State before picking the Irish. • Recruited by offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. • Visited Notre Dame just once, which was for his official visit on June 2, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • It may be difficult for him to break into the start- ing lineup as a summer enrollee, but he has the size and overall talent to contribute as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "Lambert has put together a really strong senior year based on the film we've watched. He's a guy who we've been high on from the jump and has continued to show really well. He has a high-end combination of size and movement skills at 6-6, 290 and bends really well. He can get under smaller de- fensive linemen and is outstanding in the run game. "He doesn't take a lot of pass pro reps, but we think he has the wherewithal to develop there with the coaching he'll get at Notre Dame. He has the natural athleticism to be good in pass protection. We're really excited to see him in person and get eyeballs on him. "He looks like one of the top offensive tackles in the cycle, and if you're a Notre Dame fan, you have to be really excited about Lambert joining the offensive line room." Notre Dame Is The Best Of Both Worlds For Five-Star Guerby Lambert