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No position in football is as underappreciated as the offensive line. For the everyday fan, they’re just the guys up front who only get noticed when they screw up. A sack, a tackle for a loss, a bad snap, and more will have fans screaming and calling for heads. On the other hand, a perfect pocket or a long touchdown run may draw cheers, but not for the big guys up front. Fortunately, Notre Dame has an offensive line tradition that goes far beyond that of many other schools. Just over the last decade, Notre Dame has produced several of the NFL’s best offensive line talents: Quenton Nelson, Zack Martin, and Joe Alt, just to name three.
This year, Notre Dame’s offense appeared primed as a force to be reckoned with. They returned a full set of talent from last season. Unfortunately, things went wrong before the season could even begin when sophomore guard Charles Jagusah, a projected starter, broke his left arm in a summer UTV accident that would sideline him for the first half of the season. Regardless, the Irish pressed forward with sophomore Guerby Lambert as his replacement.
The line was anchored by two captains: junior Aamil Wagner started every game at right tackle, while junior Billy Schrauth started the season at left guard. On the interior, Notre Dame most notably had to replace center Pat Coogan. Coogan left Notre Dame as a grad transfer in the offseason to join Curt Cignetti at Indiana. Fortunately, Marcus Freeman found an initial replacement in junior Ashton Craig. Finally, rising star Anthonie Knapp would step into the limelight and start every game for the Irish at left tackle.
Unfortunately, things were just too good to be true up front. After being named to the Joe Moore Award’s Midseason Honor Roll, the injury bug returned to haunt the offensive line. Despite the initial belief that he would be set to return by the second half of the season, a follow-up procedure kept Jagusah out for the entire season. Against NC State, Ashton Craig went down with a knee injury that once again ended his season after tearing his ACL just three games into last season. His replacement, sophomore Joe Otting, would start the final six games at center. Moreover, the Irish lost Billy Schrauth to a sprained MCL in their showdown with USC that ultimately sidelined him for the season as well. Similarly, a sophomore stepped in to fill in the role the rest of the way, with Sullivan Absher finishing the season in Schrauth’s place.
Despite the chaos of the season, the offensive line unit lived up to Notre Dame’s rich tradition of excellence in the trenches. Their captains would each receive individual honors before declaring for the NFL Draft: Schrauth was named an AFCA 2nd Team All-
American, while Wagner was named a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year finalist. As a collective, the unit would power the Irish offense to 42.0 points per game (third in the nation), 5.8 yards per rush (second in the nation), and allowed just 1.0 sacks per game (eighth in the nation).
But stats can only tell so much of the story of an offensive line. The real pride comes from the success of the skill players around them. In particular, Jeremiyah Love would be named a Heisman finalist at the end of the 2025 regular season. On the surface, the award recognizes Love for personal excellence throughout the season. More than anything, though, the honor reflects on the men up front who cleared Love’s path to New York.
Going forward, the Irish will once again return a heap of offensive line talent in 2026 while simultaneously gaining six new recruits, four 4-stars and two 3-stars. If they can get healthy, the unit will certainly be a force to be reckoned with once again, regardless of what chaos the season may have in store. After all, Notre Dame football is rooted in tradition, and those roots run through decades of dominant offensive line play that is going nowhere any time soon.