SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Notre Dame has been known for its offensive line in recent years. The team won the Joe Moore Award back in 2017 and has had multiple NFL draft picks.
But now this season, the Irish front line will be a little younger.
Notre Dame lost four offensive linemen in the transfer portal — including Pat Coogan, Sam Pendleton, and Rocco Spindler, who all went to Power Four programs.
But in their place, there’s a lot of talent. Anthonie Knapp and Aamil Wagner are returning starters while other younger players are ready to step up.
One player who will be missing at least early on is Charles Jagusah, who suffered a broken arm in a UTV accident last month.
The Irish are confident though they’ll have the guys to fill in for him.
“I think sometimes a guy isn’t interchangeable. And so, you do what’s best for him — especially if he’s a young guy, you keep him where he is,” says Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. “And maybe there is something that says if I start moving around, I’m going to get worse at the one thing that I do well, and you keep ‘em there. And some guys show a lot of confidence and a lot of total understanding to be able to flip side from right tackle to left, maybe go from left tackle to left guard. And we have done that already with a number of them. So, the guys that can handle it, handle it. The guys that I think wouldn’t be in their best interest, I don’t do it to.”
Aamil Wagner talks about some of the newer players who are catching his eye so far in fall camp.
On Wednesday, Wagner talked about some of the newer players who are catching his eye so far in fall camp.
“Every single one of our young guys — our freshmen, sophomores — are all improving at their own pace,” Wagner says. “I think Matty Augustine did a great job at taking that step from the spring to the fall camp. Same with Owen (Strebig), same with Cam (Herron), and so all these guys are consistently pushing themselves to be better each and every day. I think Will (Black) has done an extremely great job just coming in the summer a little later than his classmates and picking up that pace and picking up the slack and being able to jump right in.”
Last year, he suffered a knee injury just a couple of games into the season, but now he's back feeling better than ever.
One lineman who will be back but feel new is Ashton Craig. Last year, he suffered a knee injury just a couple of games into the season, but now he’s back feeling better than ever.
“Heading into fall camp, the first block finished. Just a little soreness but it’s just stuff I’ve got to work through right now. Completely normal stuff,” Craig says. “Knee is in a great spot, ready to go. Really excited to finish fall camp. Looking forward to getting back to Week 1 for sure playing against Miami. Being out for nine months and seeing the team go to the national championship, being on the sidelines is a little different. But it put into perspective how much I’m grateful for this opportunity to be able to put on the gold helmet and go out and play on Saturdays for the Irish.”
As Craig alluded to, Notre Dame’s 2025 season kicks off on Aug. 31 at Miami.
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