Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame program got off to a troubling start to the 2025 college football season on Sunday night, losing to the Miami Hurricanes 27-24 down in Hard Rock Stadium. Despite the close final score, it was a frustrating night for the Fighting Irish on both sides of the football. Perhaps the worst position group of the night was on offense for Freeman’s squad. 

Heading into the 2025 season, there were more than a few analysts who predicted the Fighting Irish offensive line to be one of the very best in college football. With returning starters Anthonie Knapp, Aamil Wagner, Billy Schrauth, and Ashton Craig set to anchor the unit, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph’s talented front appeared ready for a huge season.

That got off to a bumpy start against the Hurricanes. 

While watching the game, it appeared that the offensive line played poorly. When watching the All-22 film afterwards, it was even worse than most imagine. Figuring out the biggest issues up front isn’t the most pressing conversation. Figuring out if there was anything to build off of is. 

The cleanest offensive lineman for Notre Dame was center Craig. He was by far the most consistent of the group and didn’t have any horrible reps. While he wasn’t a dominant force on the offensive line, he won more reps than he lost. Even the reps he lost were slow losses, which can at least give your offense a chance. 

Knapp has become the whipping boy for Notre Dame fans, and he deserves his fair share of criticism for sure. He had his struggles with defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. before he missed the final couple of series while dealing with cramping. There were some good moments in the run game, but Knapp had a couple of rough losses in pass protection. 

Some parts of the Fighting Irish fanbase won’t want to hear this, but Knapp wasn’t the worst offensive lineman on the field for Notre Dame, and I’m not sure he was the second, third, or even fourth-worst either.

Unfortunately for right tackle Wagner, this was the worst game of his career wearing the blue and gold, and it wasn’t overly close. Both Bain and Akheem Mesidor gave him major issues in the running game. Wagner’s lack of core strength also showed up too often in the running game. 

When Knapp left the game, Styles Prescod filled in for him. Prescod was OK early, but the Miami pass rushers teed off on him during the final drive. Just a redshirt freshman, Prescod is clearly still developing physically. He just isn’t ready. 

Between Guerby Lambert and Sullivan Absher at right guard, that position was a major issue. Both players got whooped multiple times in pass protection, and angles in the run game were inconsistent as well. It was each player’s first real experience in a high-leverage situation, so the performance is forgivable. Notre Dame will, however, need to find an answer at right guard. 

Starting left guard Schrauth was another blah member of the offensive line. He wasn’t as bad as the offensive tackles, but not nearly as good as his reputation either. At some point, Schrauth needs to actualize talent into production. He was below average, and more should be expected from a captain, just like Wagner. 

We are now in Year 3 of Rudolph leading this offensive line for the Irish. There have been some good moments, but for the most part, it has been a mixed bag. Freeman has continuously spoken about wanting to be an offensive line-driven program, but there was little on Sunday night that gave you confidence in that ideology right now. 

This offensive staff will need to find answers, and quickly. Some of the veterans need to finally take that step forward, or some younger offensive linemen will need to get ready to play.

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