This season, Notre Dame football is projected to be one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best. It returns heaps of talent, including sophomore quarterback CJ Carr, junior cornerback Leonard Moore, senior linebacker Drayk Bowen, senior wideout Jordan Faison and many more. But to be the best football team in the land, you need more than speed and skill.
You need to rule the trenches.
For Notre Dame, line play has always been a point of pride. There is a standard of excellence, particularly on the offensive line, that has characterized Irish teams going back to the early days of football in South Bend. Recently, standouts like Quentin Nelson and Joe Alt have taken their talents from Notre Dame to the pros and become among the league’s best. On defense, there are plenty of legendary names as well. Players like Ross Browner, Isaiah Foskey and Chris Zorich were forces in their own rights during their times at Notre Dame.
That tradition of excellence up front is poised to continue for another season but with higher expectations this time around. Head coach Marcus Freeman has one of the most highly touted Irish teams in years, and their potential starts with the crop of linemen on both sides of the ball.
With minimal losses over the offseason, both the offensive and defensive lines appear poised to reload. On offense, the Irish lost Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner, with the former drafted 150th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On defense, the only major loss was Gabriel Rubio, who went No. 210 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Otherwise, there are heaps of new talent on both sides along with plenty returning.
Two full-season starters return for the offense: junior Anthonie Knapp and sophomore Guerby Lambert. They also return sophomore Charles Jagusah and senior Ashton Craig, both of whom are projected to start despite injuries last season.
As for new talent, four freshmen recruits enrolled for spring practice: Grayson McKeogh, Charlie Thom, Tyler Merrill and Sullivan Garvin. The most notable freshman, though, is Will Black. The 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from Ontario, Canada, saw no playing time last season but is projected to start at tackle this season.
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph is entering his fourth season coaching the big men up front for Notre Dame’s offense. Despite coaching a unit that powered the team to a national championship appearance just two seasons ago, this may be his best group yet.
On the defensive side, one new face will characterize the unit going forward: defensive line coach Charlie Partridge. With Al Washington moving to linebackers coach this offseason, Partridge was brought in to coach the defensive line after spending the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Before that, he spent six seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers as their defensive line coach.
Despite only a few months with his unit, Partridge seems to have put together one of the deepest fronts Notre Dame has had on defense in some time.
Things started off hot in the transfer portal, with the Irish bringing in three huge contributors. Junior Francis Brewu came over from Pitt, junior Keon Keeley transferred from Alabama and sophomore Tionne Gray arrived from Oregon. All three were key contributors at their prior schools, each of them being successful programs as well. Brewu even had a tackle for loss against the Irish last season.
Partridge also helped bring in a crop of four talented freshmen: Rodney Dunham, Ebenezer Ewetade, Elijah Golden and Tiki Hola. Dunham and Ewetade, in particular, had excellent performances less than a week ago in the Blue-Gold Game.
Two returning players have also been highlighted by defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who enters his second season leading the Irish defense. The first is Boubacar Traore; the junior led the team in 2025 with 7.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries. The second, freshman Christopher Burgess Jr., saw a bit less time last season, but he made a move from the edge to the interior that Ash believes has really helped him.
“He’s put on a lot of weight. He’s gotten a lot bigger and a lot stronger,” Ash explained of Burgess’ progress. “We think he’s got a really bright future.”
Both Irish lines showed immense depth and talent during the Blue-Gold Game, but the defense, in particular, opened a lot of eyes. There was plenty of chatter previously about the incoming talent, but they were more dominant than anyone expected during the game.
Notre Dame is looking to win its first national championship since 1988, but it won’t be able to do so without succeeding up front. Fortunately for the Irish, though, this group looks like it could be one of the best they’ve ever had.
