Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 OCT. 17, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ERIC HANSEN T he whispers that started behind closed doors last December about how tough it would be to keep a young, ascending Notre Dame offensive line- man off the field in 2026 will finally be put to the test this month. Matty Augustine is back. Well, close enough to being back that the whispers are now talking points about how the 6-foot-7, 315-pound sophomore from Greenwich, Conn., might fit into an offensive line picture that suddenly sharpened and looked at its best to date in the rain Oct. 3 at North Carolina. He's been out since Aug. 12, roughly one week into training camp, with a broken fifth metatar- sal in his right foot. The Monday before an Oct. 10 Irish matchup with Stanford, he was u pg ra d e d i n No t re Dame's weekly avail- ability report to ques- tionable for the first time this season. "He'll start practicing this week," Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said at his weekly Monday press conference head- ing into the Stanford game. "He did some football-specific work last week with our strength staff and medical staff, and this week he'll get into practice. "He's not going to go the entire prac- tice and every single rep, but he's going to start doing some football-specific work within practice. We'll determine based on how he looks on Tuesday, Wednesday — what's his availability on Saturday. Right now it's a question, but he's doing a really good job on his pro- gression into return." But what happens when Augustine is fully cleared? Is there a risk in disrupt- ing an offensive line that's finally devel- oping chemistry and cohesion after five weeks of game reps, even if Augustine offers a higher individual ceiling? "There's no risk — I think it's all re- ward," Freeman said. "We will continu- ously make decisions on what's best for the team, but there's no risk to it. He owes it to himself and the team to try to work his way back to being the best football player he can be. "We will determine what that means for Saturdays, though, like what is best for our team on Saturdays. But we need him. We need him to be the best football player he can be. And that's what we're going to push him to be." A CHALLENGE TO THE STATUS QUO The player he'll primarily be push- ing for playing time is senior Sullivan Absher. The 6-7, 320-pound Belmont, N.C., product has been listed with an "or" designation alongside junior Styles Prescod on the official Irish depth chart since the Monday before the season opener against Wisconsin Sept. 6. And it actually worked out that way in the 41-13 Irish victory in Green Bay, Wis. Prescod started and played the first half. Absher played the second half. He's started the four games since then, in- cluding playing all 77 snaps in the 37-26 win against North Carolina Oct. 3. The 6-6, 304-pound Prescod has been more valuable for providing depth at tackle, his natural position, since then. In fact, had Augustine not gotten injured, it's unlikely Prescod would have gotten an audition at guard. But Augustine brings tackle depth as well. Even if Augustine ends up as Notre Dame's No. 2 right guard, he'd likely be the first injury-replacement option at either tackle spot once fully healthy. Augustine played a modest 55 snaps spread over four games last season and earned an 85.3 season film grade from Pro Football Focus, third-highest among Irish offensive play- ers behind only run- ning back and Heis- man Trophy finalist Jeremiyah Love (92.1) and backup quarter- back Kenny Minchey (87.5). AN IMPROVING UNIT WITH ROOM TO GROW Over a three-week stretch preced- ing the Notre Dame-Stanford game, the Irish climbed 51 spots nationally in rush- ing offense, from 116th among 138 FBS teams to a tie for 65th. Also, Notre Dame was No. 2 nationally in fewest tackles for loss allowed at 2.0 per game, trailing only future opponent BYU (1.75). "I think that was the most complete game from start to finish that those five guys have played," Freeman said of the North Carolina game in which the Irish rushed for a season-high 241 yards and did not give up a sack to a team that came into the game ranked ninth na- tionally in that category. But Notre Dame isn't interested in finding out how good its offensive line is today. It's interested in how good it can become by November and December. And if Augustine can help raise that ceiling, Freeman intends to give him the chance to prove it. ✦ UNDER THE DOME Augustine played 55 snaps over four games last season, recording the third-highest season film grade — per Pro Football Focus — among Irish offensive players in 2025 of 85.3 PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER COMING TOGETHER Promising sophomore Matty Augustine is nearing his return just as an improving Irish offensive line is beginning to find its chemistry