Notre Dame is already staring at one of those summer-to-fall camp dilemmas that can reshape a depth chart before the pads even come on. The name buzzing around South Bend is Matty Augustine, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman who has gone from promising young body to a legitimate candidate to force the issue in 2026.
Blue and Gold’s Eric Hansen said the Irish staff has taken notice of how Augustine has handled himself since arriving on campus. Hansen wrote on Twitter earlier this week: “ Redshirt freshman OL Matty Augustine is a player who's making a strong push this summer to rearrange the NotreDame depth chart,” and he also passed along a coach’s blunt assessment of the situation.
“He’s put himself in a position to at least be a challenge. And we’ll kind of see how the fight goes.”
That fight is worth watching because Augustine isn’t just another big-bodied project. The 6-foot-8, 310-pound lineman worked at both tackle and guard in the spring, and he has already made enough noise to put himself into the conversation for real snaps.
Notre Dame is set at tackle with Guerby Lambert and Will Black, which makes the interior the more realistic path if Augustine wants to carve out meaningful playing time. Sullivan Absher is there, too, and the sense is that spot could be up for grabs.
The numbers from last season make the case even stronger. Augustine played just 55 snaps in 2025, but when he was on the field he was Notre Dame’s top-rated offensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus film grades, posting an 85.3 overall mark.
He was also the team’s No. 1 run blocker with an 81.4 grade. Absher, by comparison, played 327 snaps and finished with a 64.1 overall grade and a 62.6 run-blocking grade.
None of that is especially shocking when you look at Augustine’s profile. He was a 4-star OT prospect by Rivals and On3 Composite, the third-ranked recruit in Connecticut, and the 35th overall offensive tackle in the 247Sports rankings.
That kind of size and pedigree tends to show up eventually. In Augustine’s case, it’s showing up now.
He also got a real test in the spring, when he opened at right tackle for Lambert, who was out with an ankle issue. Augustine held his own against Notre Dame’s first-team defensive ends, which only added to the growing confidence around him.
At the time, Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock put it plainly: “Matty has had an incredible spring and has put himself in a position to compete to be one of the five (starters),” Denbrock said. “That’s really the goal of all those guys right now that are running with the second group: Refuse to be ignored.”
That line still fits Augustine’s situation perfectly. If he keeps doing exactly that when fall camp opens, Notre Dame may have a much harder time keeping him on the sideline.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Legacy Family Just Sent Marcus Freeman A Powerful Message
Marcus Freeman keeps hearing the outside noise that comes with success, but one of the more meaningful endorsements of his job came from inside the Notre Dame family. Julius Jones, the former Irish and NFL running back, recently talked on a podcast about what Freeman has meant to young players, saying the head coach has a way of developing college athletes and shaping them as people in a way that matters far beyond the field. For Jones, that kind of presence helped reinforce why Notre Dame remains such an appealing place for families who already know the program well.
Jones also said Freeman's approach was a big part of why he felt comfortable with both of his sons choosing Notre Dame, a small but telling sign of how the coach is building trust with legacy families. It comes at a time when Freeman's name continues to surface in conversations about possible NFL or other college opportunities, and Jones addressed the usual negative recruiting chatter with a view from the other side: for some parents, the promise of staying at Notre Dame and developing young men is the whole point. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has One Massive Question Around Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa gave Notre Dame exactly the kind of sophomore leap the defense needed, flashing as a fast, disruptive linebacker who looked more and more comfortable as the season wore on. His rise mattered not just because he produced, but because it showed how quickly he was growing into a central piece of the Irish front seven, the kind of player opponents have to account for snap after snap.
The bigger issue now is whether that growth keeps rolling once the pads come back on. Viliamu-Asas season ended with a knee injury, and after a year that put him on a much steeper trajectory, Notre Dames next step is making sure the progress carries over when he returns to full strength. How smoothly he gets back into the defense will say a lot about both his ceiling and how high this unit can climb with him anchoring the middle. [Read more 🡒]
Why Joe Otting Suddenly Matters So Much For Notre Dame
As Notre Dame settled in for the stretch run, Joe Otting went from depth piece to a central figure on the offensive line when Ashton Craigs season-ending knee injury opened the door at center. Otting ended up starting the final six games, and the change did not seem to rattle anyone around the program for long, especially after he helped steady the line in a 34-24 win over USC.
The Irish have liked what they have seen since then, with coaches and teammates pointing to his athleticism and the way he handles communication in the middle of the line. His play against USC stood out in particular, and it only reinforced why Notre Dame suddenly has reason to feel good about a position that can shape everything an offense wants to do. [Read more 🡒]