The Notre Dame offensive line has shown a lot of growth over the last two weeks following a disastrous debut against the Miami Hurricanes in week one. While it still isn’t perfect, Joe Rudolph’s group is very much settling in. The offense should continue to trend upward as they get the most out of that unit. 

While that grouping is rounding into form, they still have a big addition poised to return to the Fighting Irish in the future. The timeline is still uncertain, but standout Charles Jagusah is expected back sometime during the 2025 regular season. There seems to be some growing optimism that Jagusah could return at some point in October. 

You don’t want to disrupt chemistry up front unnecessarily, but when Jagusah has been healthy and available during his career, he has had a strong argument as the team’s top offensive lineman. He was expected to be just that in 2025 before the humerus injury this offseason that required surgery. The 6-7, 333-pound behemoth is a rare athlete who has the ability to play pretty much any spot up front on a high level. 

When Jagusah returns, you have to find a spot for him, no matter what. The easiest pathway is probably to plug him right back into right guard, the position he was going to start at to begin the year. With Guerby Lambert showing dramatic improvement recently, however, is that really the best decision for this team right now? 

If Lambert isn’t the team’s most talented offensive lineman, then he is probably right behind Jagusah. At 6-7 and 335 pounds, he has begun to look more and more comfortable as he gains experience. When Lambert has been consistent from a technical and assignment perspective, he has been a dominant player up front. Thinking about how good he can be down the stretch of the season with continued growth is a very intriguing proposition. 

Why not fix the biggest issue for the Notre Dame offensive line?

When you think about the biggest detriment to this Irish offensive line right now, pass blocking at left tackle has been far and away the largest issue. I hate to revisit a tired offseason topic, but Jagusah is, and has always been the best left tackle on this roster. Yet, Rudolph has continued to prioritize Anthonie Knapp on the blindside even though he has the talent to be outstanding inside. Jagusah would potentially solve a huge issue up front immediately.

Plugging Jagusah back into his natural left tackle spot is the move that makes the most sense, which is exactly the reason why it probably won’t happen. For better or for worse, Rudolph loves Knapp and refuses to move him away from the blindside. For the short term, Jagusah would make this group worlds better. Moving Knapp inside would also be a huge opportunity for him to compete and excel on the interior, the ideal long-term decision.

There is a world where Knapp would move inside to compete with Lambert and win out as well. If that happened, then you would legitimately have your strongest offensive line starting lineup. For now, you are probably going to just make the right guard position even stronger and simply make Lambert a swing player at multiple spots. That doesn’t, however, fix the bigger issue.

Until a decision is made at left tackle, and Knapp is allowed to flourish at his more natural position, there is a self-imposed ceiling on how good this offensive line can be. It felt like self-created ceilings were a thing of the past, and it died with Brian Kelly heading down to Baton Rouge, yet here we are.

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