Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533229
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2025 31 2025 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W BY TYLER HORKA A Notre Dame offensive line that started five players in the 2024 season opener at Texas A&M who had six com- bined starts to their names somehow ended up a Joe Moore Award semifinalist by the end of the season. With many key contributors coming back in 2025 and the position coach, Joe Rudolph, remaining the same, the idea is the Fighting Irish offensive line will only improve from last season to this one. There are some differences between that unit and this one, though, that the Irish will need to work through in spring practices. First of all, two of the starters since mid-September through the run to the national championship game are gone. Right guard Rocco Spindler went to Nebraska, and center Pat Coogan is now at Indiana. In many ways, those two seniors were the heart and soul of a unit that over-performed last season. That doesn't mean they're irreplaceable, but it's fine to admit they'll be difficult to replace. Presumed starting center Ashton Craig is out for the spring rehabbing the knee he injured in September. That was the injury that allowed Coogan to get back into the starting five and stay there through the national championship game. So it'll be interesting to see what the Irish do in the middle of the offensive line in spring practices. For stability's sake, CHARLES JAGUSAH and Aamil Wagner (left and right, respec- tively) were the starting tackles in the national championship game. They're back. Anthonie Knapp started at left tackle the first 15 games of the season before injuring his ankle in the Orange Bowl. He's available in the spring in some capacity and so is Billy Schrauth, who started the playoff run at left guard. The line might not look in the spring exactly like it will in the fall, but there are still enough pieces in place to get a decent idea of what the Irish have up front, especially with so many reserves getting some shots to get good reps in. OFFENSIVE LINEMEN POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH WHO'S AT GUARD? You can pen Billy Schrauth into one of the two starting guard spots, but who gets thrown into the other? Is it as simple as kicking An- thonie Knapp, a 15-game starter at tackle, into the interior? Or does someone else who was repping at guard throughout the fall in 2024 have the upper hand? That should be clearer soon into spring ball. PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Joe Rudolph (third season) Returning Starters: Sr. RG Billy Schrauth (15 career starts), Sr. RT Aamil Wagner (16), Sr. C Ashton Craig (6), Jr. LT Charles Jagusah (2) and So. OT/OG Anthonie Knapp (15) Departing Starters: C Pat Coogan (26) and LG Rocco Spindler (23) Projected New Starters: None Top Reserves: So. OT Guerby Lambert, Jr. OG Sullivan Absher and Jr. C Joe Otting Newcomers: Fr. OT Will Black (summer en- rollee), Fr. OT Matty Augustine, Fr. C Cameron Herron and Fr. OG Owen Strebig NUMBERS TO KNOW 1 Quarterback hurry allowed by Ashton Craig and Charles Jagusah in 2024. Only 39 offensive linemen in all of college football allowed 1 or fewer hurries on 69 or more pass-blocking snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus. 17.1 Team stuff percentage for Notre Dame in 2024, meaning Irish ball carriers were contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage on 17.1 percent of carries. That was the seventh-best percentage in the FBS. 70.7 True pass set pass-blocking grade for Aamil Wagner per Pro Football Focus in 2024. Considering Wagner played a team-high 218 true pass set snaps, a score of better than 70 with that large of a sample size is very impressive. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER ALL EYES ON … SOPHOMORE TACKLE GUERBY LAMBERT Notre Dame seems to have its starting tackles figured out with Charles Jagusah and Aamil Wagner, but every team needs a solid third option to take the place of a starter in a pinch. That's looking like it will be Lambert, a mammoth of a hu- man being who could be a starter right now at a lot of other programs in college football. His rise will be a fun one to monitor.