BY JACK SOBLE
G
uerby Lambert took three steps back.
Then five steps forward. He set his sights
on the block of his life.
It was the fourth quarter of Notre
Dame's Week 1 matchup against Miami, and the
Irish were down by seven points. Redshirt
freshman quarterback CJ Carr called his
own number on a quarterback draw, and
Lambert, a redshirt freshman making his
first career start at right guard, was to lead
the way.
As he saw his assignment, Miami junior
linebacker Raul Aguirre Jr., move downhill,
Lambert made a beeline for his spot. He
switched gears at the 9-yard line and darted
toward the 6, where he met Aguirre and took
him out just in the nick of time. By the time
Lambert looked up, Carr had crossed the goal line.
Watching from his home in Massachusetts, for-
mer Boston Catholic Memorial assistant coach
Kevin Mahoney saw the quick feet that drew him
and his coaching staff to Lambert in the first place.
"The way Shaquille O'Neal has great feet for
a guy who's 7-foot-1, usually someone who is
6-foot-7, 6-foot-8, 300-plus pounds
can't move as well as someone who's
like 6-foot-3, 185 pounds," Ma-
honey told Blue & Gold Illustrated.
"There's stuff like that that's hard to
teach, and he has it."
Lambert, the No. 42 overall player in the nation
per the Rivals Industry Ranking, wanted a
school that would challenge him academically,
and he picked Notre Dame over Harvard.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER
TOP OF
THE CLASS
Guerby Lambert is a
standout student — even
by Notre Dame standards
— and he's already
showing signs of stardom
on the offensive line
18 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
