Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 22, 2025 17 good enough. And then you feel like you failed your teammates. "And so, for me, I had to go right back to that drawing board and understand that what I thought is working hard isn't hard enough. I really took that to heart, because it hurts. That's the worst feeling. I never want to feel it again." Knapp's PFF grade from that game was 48.3, and his pass-blocking grade was a stunning 12.9, going against Mi- ami's elite defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. "I think when you go through camp, you get very used to playing your team," Irish O-line coach Joe Rudolph offered. "And so, you get very used to the bodies, the styles, the pass rush, whatever it is that you go against every day. "You get into a little bit of a com- fort of, 'I can do it this way.' And you don't really appreciate what you do in game-planning to play the next team. I thought they had two really unique body types that we weren't sure exactly how or where they were going to use them. And I thought the whole D-line in general was very talented. "I had a chance to learn more about [my offensive linemen from that expe- rience], and they had a chance to learn a little bit about themselves more. And we made some adjustments, and that's what good lines do." PAGING RILEY LEONARD Knapp's first adjustment was to call Notre Dame's 2024 starting quar- terback, Leonard, currently a rookie backup with the Indianapolis Colts. "He said, 'Focus on the process and understand things that happen, hap- pen,'" Knapp related. "'And you've got to go back to the drawing board. Things you thought would work, don't. You've got to do more.' And I think that was the biggest thing for me, is understanding that what I think is working [was not]. "I've got to go talk to my coaches. I've got to figure things out, I've got to figure things out quick. And it's not only for me, but it's for the guys next to me, be- cause they needed me. And I don't ever want to put that performance out there ever again. "It's more just for my guys. It sucks when you want to go out there and do your thing and then you feel like you can't. Understanding the bigger picture, I think that was my biggest takeaway." Even as the big picture, as it pertains to how Knapp fits into it, could change down the road. What if injured left guard Billy Schr- auth and injured right guard Charles Jagusah, who has left tackle experience, both come back for a postseason run? And what if Knapp's possible position really is offensive guard or center? "Anthonie, when he started, wasn't at left tackle," Rudolph pointed out, going back to the spring of 2024 when Knapp was an early enrollee as a freshman. "I was actually training him at center and guard. And then it just became apparent, as a true freshman, that he was our best op- tion at left tackle. And he played to that. "And then going into this year, we had some opportunities to be like, 'OK, what's our best lineup here?' And it just so happened with some of the injuries and some of the guys working through some things, he had the most reps out there. And he's just done a hell of a job out there." Rudolph said the Irish pondered auditioning 6-7, 335-pound redshirt freshman Guerby Lambert at left tackle in August, but ultimately opted against it. Lambert has started all 10 games this season at right guard, where Jagusah was expected to play until he suffered an off-field arm injury in July. "Guerb missed a lot of spring ball and a chunk of fall camp when we started," Rudolph said, referring to spring shoul- der surgery for Lambert. "And we re- ally didn't know what his status would be. And then when he started going, Charles was down. And then it was like, 'OK.' "And so, you always have to rely on the number of reps the guys have at a spot. And because that's who you work next to. That's why you practice. And so, that's where the numbers are. But Knapp could play well at a lot of posi- tions. I think he'd be a good player at a lot of spots." And if someday it's somewhere other than left tackle, Knapp will bring the same drive, the same intensity, the same transformed pain from the Miami game to push himself forward in whatever role he's asked to play. "I'd say smartness, understanding plays, knowing the defense I'm go- ing against, studying those players has definitely given me an edge to be out there," Knapp said of logging 25 starts and counting at left tackle. "But I tell Coach [Rudolph] all the time, like, 'Hey, wherever you need me, I'll play, regard- less of the situation.' "The whole O-line room, it's like, ob- viously there's the five that play. But when you say 'O-line,' we think of all of us, from front to back. There are no 1s, 2s, and 3s. It's the O-line unit. So, we all kind of help each other, make each other stronger, which I think is something we take a lot of pride in." ✦ Knapp is coming off a career-best per- formance against Navy Nov. 8, posting an overall film grade of 86.2 per Pro Football Focus, which was third-best among Power Four offensive tackles that weekend. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER