Notre Dame’s offensive line has the look of a unit that could be dangerous, but everything starts with one familiar question: can Ashton Craig stay on the field?
The veteran center has the talent to be a real anchor in the middle. The problem is availability.
Over the last two seasons, Craig has started just nine games and missed 19 more because of two separate knee injuries. When he’s out there, he’s been a quality player.
When he isn’t, the Irish are left waiting on the version of him that can help drive the whole front.
Craig’s 2025 season showed both sides of that story. He put together six starts and 352 snaps, allowing nine pressures and two sacks, according to PFF.
In 2024, he had only three starts and 159 snaps, with one pressure allowed and no sacks. In 2023, he logged three starts, 238 snaps, and gave up three pressures with no sacks.
The 2025 season opened with Craig working his way back from the knee injury that ended most of his 2024 campaign. There were some early ups and downs as he got back into rhythm, but he finished strong.
His best stretch came during the three-game win streak after the loss to Texas A&M. Then came another cruel turn: Craig went down in the win over NC State with a second straight season-ending knee injury.
That makes fall camp especially important. The expectation is that Craig will be cleared to begin camp, which would be the first step.
The next challenge is shaking off the rust after another long layoff. He also missed spring work with Anthonie Knapp and Sullivan Absher, so he’ll be lining up between two new players and trying to build chemistry fast with a line that spent plenty of time together without him.
On top of that, he has to get his quickness, conditioning and lower-body power back.
The conversation around Craig in 2026 is less about ceiling than it is about reliability. The injuries weren’t his fault, and the bad luck has been brutal.
He’s known as a hard worker and a strong leader. But Notre Dame needs more than promise from its center now.
It needs him every week.
If he can finally put together a full season, Craig has the tools to be one of the better centers in college football. He can fire out of his stance, create movement in the run game and handle himself well in space against linebackers.
He also shows a good feel for getting off blocks, sorting through combo work and climbing to the second level. When he’s locked in, he can be a strong pass blocker too.
Last season brought a few mental mistakes, but when he cleans those up, he becomes a real problem for defenses.
That’s why the bar for Craig is so straightforward. A good season means getting healthy, getting back to full speed and staying there.
Notre Dame doesn’t need a new version of him. It just needs the same player, every week.
In Other News...
Brian Kelly Is Trying To Recast His Notre Dame Exit Again
Brian Kelly is revisiting his Notre Dame departure again, this time in an interview with The Independent Podcast, and the former Irish coach is still trying to frame the move in a way that softens the old blow. His comments come years after he left South Bend for LSU, a decision that has remained one of the defining coaching exits in recent college football memory, especially for a program that still measures itself against the standard Kelly once helped set.
Kelly said the reaction to his exit has not always matched what he believes he actually meant, and he also pointed to the broader messiness of coaches changing schools in the middle of the sports churn. For Notre Dame fans, the familiar tension is less about the explanation itself than the fact that Kelly keeps returning to it, trying once more to separate his own version of the story from the one that has followed him ever since. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames True Recruiting Stronghold Is Not Where Fans Think
For all the talk about Notre Dame needing to dominate its own backyard, the recruiting map over the last decade tells a different story. From 2016 to 2026, the Irish have built real pipelines far from South Bend, with Florida, California, Georgia and Texas all supplying major talent and helping shape the roster in ways that go well beyond the Midwest footprint fans usually picture.
Florida has been especially important, sending 24 commitments to Notre Dame over that span, while California was close behind with 23 and an especially strong haul of blue-chip prospects. Georgia and Texas have also become reliable sources, and Texas in particular has stood out for the quality of the players it has produced, a reminder that Notre Dames recruiting reach is now national in a way that would have looked far less likely a generation ago. [Read more 🡒]