The transfer portal has closed until April 16, so we can assess the latest flurry of departures and arrivals. We will begin with the offense and analyze each position with an eye toward the 2025 starting lineup. Keep in mind, however, that quality depth plays a major role in the success of any team. That lesson was certainly clear throughout the 2024 campaign. Since NIL is a factor in player acquisition and retention, Coach Marcus Freeman had to make some difficult choices. Despite these challenges, Freeman appears to have strengthened the roster. Consequently, our outlook for next season is very positive.
Portal Losses: C Pat Coogan, G Rocco Spindler, G Sam Pendleton, T Ty Chan
Other Losses: T Tosh Baker (expired eligibility)
Portal Additions: None
Retained Players: G/T Charles Jagusah, T/G/C Anthonie Knapp, T Aamil Wagner, T Guerby Lambert, T Styles Prescod, G Billy Schrauth, G Sullivan Absher, G Joe Otting, G Peter Jones, C Ashton Craig, C/G Chris Terek
Incoming Freshmen: G Cameron Herron, G Matt Augustine, T Will Black, T Owen Strebig
Although Coogan, Spindler, and Pendleton started multiple games last year, they were not projected as starters in 2025. Something had to give because there is not enough money in the NIL budget to meet everyone’s demands. For example, Tennessee offered Pendleton $400,000 to play in Knoxville. That is more than the Irish can afford for a reserve. Retaining core starters such as Knapp, Schrauth, Wagner, and Craig had to take precedence.
Position flexibility is also important in terms of development and overcoming injuries. We witnessed Jagusah perform well at both guard and tackle in the playoffs. Knapp is probably going to move inside this season where he may be best suited. While Schrauth will occupy one guard spot, Craig and Knapp could play either center or the other guard. The wild card in the mix is Lambert. He is a prototypical left tackle and may earn that job by August 31. His rapid development would move Jagusah inside where some believe is his best position.
Many Irish observers expect the starting lineup to be as follows:
LT Jagusah LG Schrauth C Craig RG Knapp RT Wagner
I would not be surprised to see a different configuration:
LT Lambert LG Schrauth C Knapp RG Jagusah RT Wagner
Athletically, I believe the latter would be the best outcome at each position.
Having six potential starters for five spots is not a bad position to be in. Losing popular veteran players is regrettable but a fact of life in the NIL era. Meanwhile, the rest of the returnees will compete for backup slots. Among the freshmen, Black is the most advanced prospect. Ideally, he should take the same development path as Lambert and redshirt this season. Injuries could change that plan as we saw with Knapp in 2024 but the Irish have more options now. The other freshmen should definitely preserve their eligibility while they acclimate to the college game.
Overall, this Irish offensive line has the talent to be better than last season. Some individuals were forced to play out of position in 2024 while others lacked mobility. Continuity from week to week was also a difficult proposition. Although they were good enough to reach the playoffs, Notre Dame’s rushing attack faltered against top competition. One long run by Jeremiyah Love and several quarterback keepers were exceptions but more tailback production was needed. Basic run blocking must improve in 2025. The returning quarterbacks are less suited to exit the pocket and absorb the punishment that Riley Leonard endured.
Fortunately, Love and Jadarian Price return to lead a stellar group of tailbacks. They will run behind an offensive line that will have the benefit of experience against top competition. Coaching also matters, and the Irish are in good hands with Joe Rudolph. His ability to mix, match, and develop on the fly was instrumental in the 2024 playoff run. We look forward to watching him work with a deeper, stronger, and hopefully healthier group this year.
Next up in this series is Quarterbacks and Running Backs
Hickster says:
Excellent summary on the Top 6 OL. Do you have a handle on the next 4 reserves and how they are progressing – who would be the next 2 in the rotation?
John Vannie says:
Let’s wait until spring practice concludes so we can see where the individual players settle. The guys who play on the inside are interchangeable pieces. The tackle spots are reserved for the guys who can actually play on the edges. There are more of the former than the latter.
joe barrett says:
Thanks John for the valuable information regarding the offensive linemen for this upcoming season. Like you I was surprised that ND did not use their RB’s more in the playoffs. Especially in the Championship Game. I am really excited about this year’s OL. Let’s bring home the ” Joe Moore ” Award!! looking forward to your write-up about the QB and RB positions! Go Irish!!!!
Irishwolf says:
Thank you John. This is very good information.
What O-line root cause(s) do you think are responsible for the poor running attack as competition gets better? Technigue? Blocking system? Aggression or lack thereof? Talent level or lack thereof?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you want to share.
John Vannie says:
I believe last year’s line had a combination of size, strength, mobility and experience issues depending on the player. It is interesting that Charles Jagusah was our highest performing lineman in the playoffs. He has the best combination of size and mobility of the group. Still, he is young and could not have been at peak strength after missing most of the season.
Indiana, Georgia, Penn State, and Ohio State all had veteran defensive lines that were loaded with size and talent. The Irish held up fairly well in pass protection but had great difficulty moving those guys to run the tailbacks. At least now they have an idea of what it is going to take during the offseason to have success when the playoffs roll around next year.
Keith Weigand says:
The question I have is if Lambert is going to be the future LT why he didn’t work at that position during the year instead of backing up Wagner at RT? Believe Lambert played RT in high school and maybe Wagner gets moved to LT as I believe he is the most athlete lineman on the team if ND wants to move Jaquash inside.
John Vannie says:
Once Jagusah went down in August, the coaches felt that Knapp was further along in technique to take over that spot. Lambert had a longer learning curve but reportedly made great progress, esspecially in the last half of the season. If he had to play in 2024, it would have been on the less demanding right side. Fortunately, Wagner was able to make every start. We’ll see how they handle Lambert in the spring but I am told he could play on the left side. With his size and athletic ability, that is where they ultimately want and expect him to be.
Marty says:
As always, I really appreciate your insight and look forward to the next segment.
Will says:
John, this is a wonderful service that you provide, a service that is not available anywhere else. The loss to OSU was a bitter disappointment to me and I was pleased to see your new posting. It’s nice to put the past behind us and start focusing on the future. I am struck by the huge NIL payments that you have indicated are being paid for o-lineman. I had thought that the skill position players were the ones getting the big bucks, but as Freeman has stated – he wants to make ND an o-line and d-line based program. Still…I had no idea that collegiate players were being paid this much cash. John, I value your perspective a great deal. Your weekly breakdowns of Irish football both pre and post game have always been quite measured and realistic. My big question for you is this: how sustainable is college football as it is now being financed. I can’t imagine that the majority of Power 4 schools can maintain these levels of NIL expenditures. Where is all of this headed?
John Vannie says:
I believe the game is headed to where the players are deemed to be employees and eleigible to share in the riches that the sport can generate, particularly from TV contracts. The rich power schools will embrace this change and act accordingly. Other schools will not be able to sustain this setup along with their other athletic programs. Therefore, a split between the haves and have-nots is inevitable.
I certainly hope that NFL style controls are put in place regarding player movement and an overall salary cap that all teams must adhere to. The current system of chaos is not sustainable.
Will says:
Thanks. There is still a problem even if a salary cap is put in place for the t.v. money to be shared with the players. College collectives can still make unlimited NIL payments to players because technically this is “endorsement money.” The NFL has strict salary caps, but the League cannot and does not limit outside endorsement money to the players. Finally, according to the relevant Supreme Court decision, colleges cannot limit NIL monies. Where does all this end? In the long run do schools like Duke, Vandy, Northwestern, Michigan, Stanford, Cal, Boston College, and ND really want to subsidize a professional football team? Some very hard decisions will have to be made about the purpose of the university.