How Notre Dame Might Look to Reshuffle Their Offensive Line Following Charles Jagusah's Injury

When presumed starter at left tackle, Charles Jagusah, tore his pectoral muscle during last year's fall camp, it forced Notre Dame to retool what they wanted their front to look like. The shuffling included starting a true freshman, Anthonie Knapp, as a blind side protector among other moves that were made throughout the season. As the new look unit began to gel, it helped pave the way to a National Championship appearance.

Photo by The Irish Tribune

The run game was among Top 20 in the country, and pass protection, albeit aided by Riley Leonard's ability to break tackles and escape the pocket, was solid nonetheless. Fast forward to the 2025 off-season, and Notre Dame once again finds itself in the unenviable position of having to piece together what they think the offensive line should look like after another unexpected summer injury. Charles Jagusah, who is arguably the most talented lineman on the roster, and once again figured to play a prominent starting role this upcoming season, will have to wait for some time to take a snap after suffering an off-the-field arm injury. The good news for Irish fans is that the offensive line might be the deepest position group on the team, with a good mix of young and experienced talent. The key for Offensive Line Coach Joe Rudolph, Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock, and Head Coach Marcus Freeman will be finding the five players that can mesh together quickly and play as a cohesive bunch. The passing attack figures to be more of a focal point in 2025, and for those hopes to become realized, the big men up front will need to do their job and live up the standard Notre Dame has set for offensive line success.

After reviewing film from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, as well as revisiting high school tape in some cases, this is my honest assessment of the best solution for the offensive line.

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Left Tackle

Marcus Freeman proved emphatically last year that he does not care if you are an underclassman or 7th-year player when he named Anthonie Knapp the starter for the Week 1 opener at Texas A&M. Although Knapp was not a perfectly polished product, throughout the season there was certainly more good than bad. The following clips are from my "Freshman Spotlight" piece I did on him earlier this year.

Here he is 1 on 1 with one of the better pass rushers in the country in Nic Scourton. He shows excellent punch timing and play strength here as he gets his hands into Scourton's chest, anchors down, and pancakes him.

On what turned out to be one of the most important plays of the game, Knapp once again shows off some major play strength as well as some high football IQ. He feels Nic Scourton drop off the edge into a delayed stunt and picks up the looping 3-tech defensive tackle instead. Once engaged, he uses powerful hands to chop the defender's arms and knock him off balance. Leonard received a clean pocket and was able to make a huge completion because of it. For a true freshman, this is an elite rep.

This play stood out because it showcases that he processes bad reps and learns from them. Here, the defender makes a similar move to what had given Knapp some issues in previous clips in this article, with a quick jab step and outside rush. Unlike some of his other times facing this move, Knapp does a good job of not oversetting and staying square to the defender, showing good lateral agility as he mirrors him on the outside counter and completely neutralizes him on this play.

Knapp deserves a lot of credit for what he did during his first year, but is another first-year player a possibility to unseat him?

Will Black will be entering his Freshman season as a much more highly touted prospect than Knapp was coming out of high school. Black was a consensus top 10 tackle in the nation and is, by my estimation, more than capable of stepping into a starting blindside role like Knapp did one year before. Black possesses a more prototypical frame than the 6'4" Knapp, and has the skill set to match.

Excerpts from my September 2024 Scouting Profile on Will Black

"We've seen Black be deployed as a lead pull tackle, a front-side zone blocker, and everything in between. Black is efficient in most areas of run blocking, but when he is used in a Power Scheme, he shines brightest. As mentioned above, his strength is off the charts, which allows him to get a consistent push on the man lined up in front of him. He does an excellent job of turning himself and sealing edge defenders, allowing ball carriers to come right off his backside."

"I was very pleased to see where Black is as a pass blocker, considering he is just now entering his senior season, and run blocking is usually much further ahead at the high school level. Has very good punch timing, getting his hands into the chest of the defender right before he gets into his rush moves, essentially stopping him in his tracks. Moves feet well against edge players that try go wide around him, and once he is engaged, stays in control and does not allow many attempts at double moves. Also shows glimpses of his Football IQ in the way he recognizes defensive line stunts, and stays in good position to take on the looping defender. He will need to become more polished on his hand placement as he can get a little outside and grabby, which does not get called much now, but refs are a little more flag happy in college."

"Will Black is an outstanding prospect and well deserving of his high composite recruiting score. He already shows proficiency in both the run and pass game, and looks the part from a physical stature standpoint. When he arrives next season, he will join a very talented position group and very well may find himself as the next underclassmen contributing early on for the Blue and Gold."

Black continued to shine through his Senior campaign and is now positioned to possibly earn a role from day 1 in South Bend.

My Pick for Left Tackle - Will Black

Could Marcus Freeman roll out a true freshman at the most important position on the offensive line in back-to-back years? If it helps the team compete at the highest possible level, then my guess is yes. This pick is not a knock on Anthonie Knapp, who I think separated himself from almost every other freshman tackle a season ago, it is more so related to the high upside of Black, and the chance to get as much talent on the field at once.

Left Guard

In 2024, this spot was manned by Sam Pendleton for the first seven games of the season before Billy Schrauth took over vs Navy in October. Schrauth had started the year on the right side of the offensive line, but after an injury caused him to miss a chunk of the year, he was reinserted as left guard upon his return and made the most of his opportunity. On the year, he only allowed eight quarterback pressures and had the highest pass blocking grade on the team. As he enters his Junior campaign, can he become one of the best guards in the country?

A lot of what makes Schrauth so good in pass pro is his mental processing. He does a good job when it comes to scan protection, and in the above clip, you can see how quickly he diagnoses the stunt along the defensive line and gets himself in position to take on the looping defender. He is able to lock out and keep the defender from making any progress towards the QB.

The question for Schrauth will be how consistent he can be in the run game. In the above clip vs Army, he does a good job working off the double team with the center and getting to the second level to occupy the linebacker and create a hole for the running back.

In what might have been the most memorable play of the season for Irish fans, Schrauth played a pivotal role. It was a straight gap scheme play for the offense, which just means that it is "mano a mano" with the man in front of you. Schrauth is able to utilize his play strength and stay completely locked on the defensive tackle, not allowing him to disengage, which opens up the hole for Jeremiyah Love to get outside and score the first touchdown in the history of the 12-team playoff format.

Another excellent rep in pass protection for Schrauth above. Although the pass resulted in an interception off a tip drill, Schrauth shows the ability to reset his hands as he anchors down vs a power rush, completely stonewalling the defensive tackle at the point of attack.

My Pick for Left Guard - Billy Schrauth

This one feels like a no-brainer. Schrauth possesses all of the necessary tools to continue to be successful, with experience to boot. He is one of the better pass protectors at the position in the country, with plus value as a run blocker as well.

Center

Here is where I think things start to get interesting. Ashton Craig started the first three games of the 2024 season before suffering a season-ending injury. He was replaced by Pat Coogan, who filled in admirably, but decided to hit the transfer portal after the National Championship game. With Craig working his way back, and Coogan now three hours away in Bloomington as a member of the Indiana Hoosiers, who will take the reins at this vital spot along the line?

With Craig, let's go back to the 2023 season. Against Clemson, starting center Zeke Correll went down with an injury. Andrew Kristofic came in to replace him but didn't last long, going down with a season-ending injury shortly after. That's when Craig's number was called, but it wasn't an easy situation to step into.

In this first clip, you can see the defensive tackle attack with a Bull Rush, and Craig is never really able to anchor down and stop the defender's momentum. The pressure speeds up Sam Hartman's processing time, which leads to an errant pass.

In the above video, after snapping the ball, Craig works to the 3-tech defensive tackle on a double team with the right guard. Although he was not the only one at fault on this play, as the whole offensive line basically broke down, he again failed to exhibit the leg drive and power to help stonewall a defender.

Fast forwarding to the 2023 Sun Bowl against Oregon State, there was some inconsistency in the run game for Craig.

First, the good. Oregon State is selling out vs the run on this play, blitzing all of their linebackers. Craig does an excellent job of standing up the LB at the point of attack, and maintaining his block long enough to eliminate him from the play before working up to the second level and getting hands on the safety. Jadarian Price follows him right up the hole for an easy touchdown.

The problem is that there were also plays where he was blown up off the line and completely knocked off balance into the backfield, allowing the defense to penetrate for tackles for loss.

The first of the three games Craig played in 2024 was the opener against Texas A&M.

After a few inaccurate snaps, Craig settled in, and once again showed some good and bad.

On this play, he displays good patience before working up to the middle linebacker. He throws the block that springs Price for the big run, but allows his hands to get outside of the defender and draws the holding penalty. Hand placement is something that popped up in multiple instances while watching his film.

The above clip is an excellent rep for Craig. He works a combo block on the defensive tackle, and then disengages and gets up to the linebacker and pancakes him, which allows Jeremiyah Love to pick up a nice gain.

Overall, Craig has some good athletic ability in his game and can get out in space on screen passes and quick throws. He shows high football IQ when it comes to processing stunts along the defensive line and being patient. My biggest concerns are his ability to anchor vs power to stop the pocket from collapsing, and his hand placement once he engages second-level defenders.

There is not much experience beyond Craig on the depth chart with Joe Otting, who has never started a game, and true freshman Cam Herron, rounding out the current three-deep. So, is there anyone else who can realistically challenge Craig for the starting role?

I think the answer to that is yes, and it is not someone generally brought up in regards to the center position.

If you turn back the clock to spring ball of 2024, Anthonie Knapp was taking reps at both guard and center before eventually landing in his left tackle role. After a full season of sharpening his game by having to deal with top edge rushers week in and week out, he is now well equipped to play along the interior, where defenders have much less space to work with. His play strength was on display all season, and he is a very athletic lineman who has no problem climbing to the second level in the run game. One of the very few issues he had last year was at times oversetting vs speed rushers, but that would no longer be a concern with him moving to a more confined area. Although he held up well at tackle, his 6'4" frame is still better suited for an inside role, and with some development, he could easily become one of the best centers in the country. The following is another clip from the "Freshman Spotlight" piece.

No offensive linemen is a viable option without being able to hold their own in the run game. In game one for Knapp, he passed that test on multiple occasions, none bigger than the above play, which was the go-ahead touchdown for the biggest road win in Marcus Freeman's tenure at the time. Knapp works up to the second level and gets enough of the linebacker to spring Jeremiayh Love for the touchdown. I would like to see Knapp attack the outside shoulder of the defender just a little more to be able to turn him, but he still threw the most important block on this play.

My Pick for Center - Anthonie Knapp

Knapp may not seem like the most obvious choice, but when you really break down his skill set, he is a natural fit and could elevate this offensive line even further, especially with a full year of starting experience under his belt, albeit at another position

Right Guard

With the left side and center spots solidified with plenty of talent, it is now time to turn attention to the right side of the line. This is another position that was held down for the majority of the year by a player who is no longer with the team. Rocco Spindler, who took over in week four and never relinquished the role after that, is now with Nebraska. Charles Jagusah was figured to be in contention for this spot, but his injury threw a wrench in those plans. Some other mainstream options include Chris Terek, Devan Houstan, or possibly Sullivan Absher, who has mainly played in clean-up duty. However, I think there is another option with more upside, but would involve another position change.

Guerby Lambert is a 6'7", 341-pound behemoth who plays with surprisingly good pad level for his size. He is yet to start a game, but when he did get snaps, I think there was a lot put on tape that backs up my projection for him as a guard.

In the above clip, yes, Notre Dame had already put the game out of reach, but for Lambert, these are meaningful snaps, and there is a lot of good to take away. From his right tackle spot, Lambert is able to locate the second-level defender to attack and climbs with very smooth movement skills for his size. He does a good job staying engaged until Aneyas Williams bounces the play outside.

Here is where I get excited about a player like Lambert. Although the play itself goes for a modest gain, Lambert is asked to pull across the formation and shows at his size that he has the lateral agility to do so. He locates the linebacker through traffic and gets enough of him to allow the running back to use his momentum to fall forward for some extra yardage. I would like him to stay engaged at the point of attack and continue to drive, but it is an overall good rep.

Here is a pass pro rep for Lambert. He does an excellent job of getting into his drop vs a speed rush and continues to shuffle and mirror the defender to push him wide of the QB. Lambert will not have to worry about covering so much space as a guard, but once again shows off his natural movement skills that will make for an easy transition inside.

One final clip of Lambert being used as a puller. He gets across the LOS with good balance and agility, locates the linebacker, and seals him to the outside to allow the running back to run right off his backside for a chunk play.

My Pick for Right Guard - Guerby Lambert

Even going back to his high school days, Lambert has always been a mover in the run game, who is a pancake machine. He is comfortable on the right side of the line, and kicking inside to guard will coincide with a lot of what he does well. It puts even more mass on the front line and, in my projection, would have Anthonie Knapp flanked by two very talented guards to help secure the middle of the pocket.

Right Tackle

The right tackle spot is one that I think will be the least controversial. Aamil Wagner started every game for the Irish last season through the National Championship. It was not a perfect season for Wagner, and there are some things to clean up, but when it all shakes out I expect him to find himself as the right side protector once again. The 6'6" Wayne High School product proved his durability during what ended up being the longest season in college football history (16 games) and is by far the most experienced right tackle on the roster. Behind Wagner are a couple of true freshmen in Owen Strebig and Matty Augustine, neither of whom I think would be ready to fill in a starting role. Guerby Lambert is also a name that could compete for the role, but I believe he could find himself a gig at guard as stated above.

Like I said, it wasn't always a perfect season for Wagner. In the Orange Bowl, he was matched up with the best pass rusher in the country in Abdul Carter. No tackle is going to win every rep vs a player of Carter's caliber, but in the above play, some specific things led to Wagner losing the matchup. Firstly, he was a little slow on his kick step and did a poor job of getting to the depth to be able to try to cut off Carter's speed. Secondly, his punch timing was off, and violence through his hands is something he struggled with at certain points throughout the year.

But there is a reason I still think Wagner is the man for the job. Completely contrary to the previous play I showed, in the above clip, you can see the difference in the way Wager gets out of his stance. Carter once again is coming on a speed rush, but because Wagner takes a great angle on his initial step, he is able to stay on Carter's inside shoulder and ride him past Riley Leonard, allowing Leonard to step up in the pocket and deliver a throw.

My Pick for Right Tackle - Amil Wagner

The key with Wagner is consistency. On his good reps in pass pro, he looks like he is one of the best right tackles in the country. He just can not allow his mechanics to break down, and needs to play with a more sustained aggression in both the pass and run game.

Projected Offensive Line:

LT- Will Black

LG- Billy Schrauth

C- Anthonie Knapp

RG- Guerby Lambert

RT- Aamil Wagner

With fall camp gearing up to get underway, the pieces on the offensive line will start to fall into place sooner rather than later. For my money, if the Irish want to get the most talented five players on the field with the highest upside, it is the combination I laid out in this article. In any case, having this many options to mix and match is a good problem to have, and you very well may be looking at a Joe Moore Award finalist when it is all said and done.

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