Multiple Notre Dame standouts named to Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List as they’re set for breakout 2025 seasons 

Two Notre Dame standouts earn preseason recognition going into potential breakout seasons.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Every year, the Outland Trophy is given to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman in college football by the Football Writers Association of America. Some of the past winners of the award include Joe Thomas, Ndamukong Suh, Aaron Donald, Quinnen Williams, and Penei Sewell. These players probably don’t get the national attention that they deserve, but the Outland voters certainly appreciate them. 

In the history of Notre Dame football, only three players have taken home the Outland Trophy. That list includes George Conner in 1946, Bill Fischer in 1948, and Ross Browner in 1976. Former Fighting Irish offensive linemen Aaron Taylor, Quenton Nelson, Liam Eichenberg, and Joe Alt were each finalists in the past for the honor, but did not win. 

This week, the preseason watchlist for the Outland Trophy was released. Of the 50 talented offensive and defensive linemen listed, two Notre Dame players crashed the party. Starting right tackle Aamil Wagner and left guard Billy Schrauth were both included on the list. 

Wagner heads into the 2025 college football season as the only Notre Dame offensive lineman that started every game a year ago. The redshirt junior showcased a lot of solid moments in 2024, possessing a ton of length and underrated hand strength. As Wagner continues to add good weight to his frame, it’s possible he takes a substantial step forward as long as he doesn’t sacrifice athleticism. 

For Schrauth, he showcased a ton of upside when he was healthy this past season as well. The highs were pretty exciting from the redshirt junior, but a larger level of consistency needs to take a step forward. When Schrauth wasn’t the best version of himself, there were some pretty big struggles. No. 74 will be a tremendous barometer in 2025 for just how good this offseason line should be. 

While Wagner and Schrauth are the leaders of the offensive line, this should be a really good overall group this season. Anthonie Knapp should take a nice jump in his second year at left tackle, and Ashton Craig is expected to return fully healthy inside at center. That’s a great baseline for an offensive line. 

The lone question mark is going to be at right guard, where Joe Rudolph and the Fighting Irish staff are going to need to find a replacement for the injured Charles Jagusah. Redshirt sophomore Sullivan Absher looks like he will get the first chance at taking that spot, but other players like Guerby Lambert could figure into the competition. 

If either one of Wagner or Schrauth are in the conversation to win the Outland after this season, that’s probably a good indication that this offensive line was pretty dang good.

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