Can a seasoned offensive line carry Notre Dame to championship contention? Discover projected starters and returning talent ready to dominate.
Notre Dame will go into the 2026 season with incredibly high expectations, something that isn't uncommon in the Marcus Freeman era. The Irish have been a preseason Top 10 team in three of Freeman's four previous seasons, and that will likely continue in 2026. Notre Dame is consistently listed as one of the top two to three teams when it comes to national championship odds.
If Notre Dame is going to live up to the preseason hype the offensive line will need to have its best season under Freeman. The unit has been a bit up-and-down the last three seasons, but the Irish return a deep and very, very talented unit. It's also year four of the Joe Rudolph era, so expectations for this unit are quite high as well. If the group lives up to its potential we'll be reminded of why Notre Dame is still considered O-Line U.
Let's continue our depth chart projection series with a look at the offensive line.
PROJECTED OL DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Anthonie Knapp - 27 starts - 1,531 career snaps
Ashton Craig - 12 starts - 749 career snaps
Guerby Lambert - 12 starts - 737 career snaps
Joe Otting - 6 starts - 462 career snaps
Sullivan Absher - 5 starts - 423 career snaps
Charles Jagusah - 2 starts - 182 career snaps
Christopher Terek - 0 starts - 158 career snaps
Styles Prescod - 0 starts - 89 career snaps
Matty Augustine - 0 starts - 55 career snaps
Cam Herron - 0 starts - 38 career snaps
Devan Houstan - 0 starts - 36 career snaps
Will Black - 0 starts - 27 career snaps
Owen Strebig - 0 starts - 1 career snap
*** Snap numbers are according to Pro Football Focus
WHAT WAS LOST
Notre Dame lost two veteran players in left guard Billy Schrauth and right tackle Aamil Wagner. Schrauth was arguably the team's best lineman when he was injured in the 34-24 win over USC, and Wagner has been the team's most dependable player after starting the last 28 straight games. On top of their production, Schrauth and Wagner were both captains last season, which means Notre Dame will need someone - or someones - to replace the departed leadership as well.
The good news for Notre Dame is that the line will likely be bigger, a bit more athletic and likely more talented this season. Whether or not all of that potential turns into consistently dominant play will play a major role in how this team plays in 2026.
RETURNING STARTERS
Notre Dame returns six players that have started at least two games during their career, but they return three players that began last season as starters, two of them are multi-year starters.
Rising junior Anthonie Knapp has started at left tackle in 27 of the 28 games Notre Dame has played since he arrived. Knapp has been a strong run blocker since he arrived at Notre Dame, but his pass protection improved greatly in 2025. After giving up 31 pressures (4 sacks) as a freshman, Knapp gave up just 11 pressures (1 sack) as a sophomore (PFF). The question surrounding Knapp heading into year three is will he remain at left tackle or kick inside to guard?
At the moment I project Knapp to move inside, and if that in fact happens it could be a monster season for him. Knapp was good at left tackle last season and he would continue to improve if he stayed outside. His run blocking will be a strength no matter where he plays, but Knapp was never as comfortable on the edge in pass protection. Yes, he improved in year two, but as a guard it could become a strength of his game, something I don't know would have happened at left tackle. A move inside for Knapp could be what he needs to go from a good player - which he undoubtedly was in 2025 - to one of the best linemen in the country.
An offseason injury to Charles Jagusah forced Notre Dame to move then redshirt freshman Guerby Lambert inside to guard. It didn't take long for Lambert to get comfortable inside, and the result was an outstanding first season in the lineup, with the Massachusetts native earning Freshman All-American honors. Lambert has an elite combination of size, athleticism and power. I expect Notre Dame to kick Lambert back out to right tackle, which was his original position.
Lambert has all the tools you want in a big time tackle. He's incredibly long, he has the kind of thick base that should allow him to anchor well, he's athletic enough to dominate on the edge in pass pro and he has the power to dominate in the run game. In fact, a case could be made that for stretches last season he was Notre Dame's best run blocker. He was certainly their most physical and got the most consistent movement. If Lambert can become more technically proficient he could be a big time performer on the edge.
I'm not sure we'll see him during the spring, but at some point before the season starts the Irish will get Ashton Craig back. Craig went down with a season-ending injury in the 36-7 win over NC State, marking the second straight that he suffered a lower body injury that ended his season. In fact, Craig has started just nine of Notre Dame's last 28 games. That creates major questions about where his game is after another lower body injury, and even if he does, can he remain healthy for an entire season.
That's the bad news. The good news is this, if Craig can get back to full strength, and remain there, he would give the Irish a talented player in the middle of the line. Craig has also earned a reputation as a strong leader for the Irish, which is also something you want in a center. Craig has been a bit up-and-down when he starts, but when Craig is on his game he's outstanding.
IS BLACK READY TO COMPETE?
If Knapp does move inside the likely reason is that Notre Dame is opening up a spot for talented redshirt freshman Will Black. Black played just 27 snaps over two games as a true freshman, but none of those snaps were at left tackle. For some reason, Rudolph decided to play Black a lot at guard early in his rookie season. He was an elite, five-star prospect when he signed with Notre Dame, and I expect him to move back out there in year two.
The good news is that part of the reason Rudolph moved him to guard last season was that he was already comfortable at tackle. Black will need to get comfortable quickly if he is in fact moved to left tackle, which is exactly what needs to happen. There will be some bumps in the road, just like there were for Lambert in his redshirt freshman season, but Black has the kind of talent to become Notre Dame's next great left tackle. He is long, massive (6-7, 316), athletic and he has loads of talent. Black has all the tools to eventually become the next great left tackle for Notre Dame.
VETERAN DEPTH
Notre Dame returns several players with starting experience, including guard Sullivan Absher and Joe Otting, who started beside each other for the final five games of the 2025 season.
Absher started the final five games at left guard, and he had some good moments. If Knapp gets kicked inside to left guard I would expect Absher to bump over to right guard, where he will battle for a starting spot. Absher was surprisingly good in pass pro, allowing just one pressure (0 sacks) in his five starts. He'll need to improve his pad level and exert a bit more force in the run game, but the experience he gained last season should allow him to build his game. Playing with a bit more consistent pad level and moving his feet through contact are keys to Absher getting the run game movement he's capable of. If he can do that, Absher will have a great shot of winning the starting right tackle job.
Otting stepped into the starting lineup when Craig went down, and in his first start the Irish destroyed USC on the ground, racking up 306 rushing yards. In fact, Notre Dame's only 300-yard rushing performances last season were with Otting in the starting lineup. Like Absher, Otting struggled a bit with consistency, especially from a footwork standpoint. That isn't surprising for two young players with limited experience, but the snaps they earned last season should benefit both players and help them become more consistently effective players.
Notre Dame has two more veterans that provide quality depth in junior tackle Styles Prescod and senior guard Christopher Terek. It's a big spring for Prescod, who needs to take a jump if he's going to hold off some of the young tackle talent Notre Dame has on the roster. Terek has impressed when he's played in games the last two seasons, but he has to show he can stay healthy.
THE JAGUSAH QUESTION
There is one great unknown on the offensive line this offseason, and that's the status of Charles Jagusah. The former five-star recruit went into the last two offseasons as a projected starter for the Irish. He was supposed to be the team's starting left tackle in 2024 and right guard in 2025, but an upper body injury derailed both seasons. He was injured early in fall camp in 2024 and injured during the offseason in 2025.
So there are two key questions for Jagusah. When will he get cleared to practice/play, and will he return to the form he showed in the 2024 College Football Playoffs. When he's been on the field Jagusah has been a dominant player, but him getting on the field has been the issue.
If Jagusah does return to form I expect him to battle at right guard. If he is able to get healthy and get back into the starting lineup he could could form a truly dominant - and massive - right side of the offensive line. He's the biggest question mark right now, but his return could also be the thing that turns this offensive line into a truly elite unit.
YOUTH MOVEMENT?
Notre Dame has several very talented redshirt freshmen and a very talented freshman class. This group will have a chance this spring to make some noise in the two deep. I fully expect redshirt freshman Matty Augustine to earn a spot in the two deep, either at right tackle or left tackle. Classmate Owen Strebig will also get a shot this spring to force his way into the two deep.
If healthy, Craig will be the team's center in 2026, but redshirt freshman Cam Herron will get a chance this spring to battle Otting for the role of "center of the future." He's made quite an impression on those inside the program in his one year on campus thus far.
Rookies Grayson McKeogh, Tyler Merrill, Sullivan Garvin and Charlie Thom are already on campus, and big man Ben Nichols will join the team this summer, as will Gregory Patrick. McKeogh, Merrill and Garvin will have a chance to make some noise this spring.
The presence of these young players means one of two things will happen. They will play so well that they force their way into the two-deep, or their presence will force veteran players to up their games and solidify spots in the two-deep. Either way, Notre Dame will have a deep, talented and massive offensive line this season.
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