Why another Notre Dame College Football Playoff run could be fueled by the O-line
Cole Cubelic paced the field before the Sugar Bowl, getting a better look at Notre Dame's offensive line. The SEC Network analyst and chairman of the Joe Moore Award voting committee wanted to see if the group looked the same in person as it did on tape. And what Cubelic had seen on tape made him think Notre Dame's line could more than hold its own against Georgia.
Advertisement
Turns out, Notre Dame's offensive line looked better than expected. Maybe not because of the five starters who'd help the Irish win their first major bowl game in 31 years while allowing just one tackle for loss. But because of the guy warming up who got five snaps on special teams as the Irish continued their run to the national title game.
It was easy to spot Charles Jagusah with his name on the back of that No. 56 jersey. And warmups suggested the starting left tackle on the opening day of preseason camp wasn't just going through the motions. Cubelic asked a Notre Dame staffer if the sophomore might play and was told it was break-glass-in-case-of-emergency for Georgia. If the Irish went further?
'You're thinking with an extra week, maybe there's a role against Penn State,' Cubelic said. 'And then to come in there and get his first real playing time when the guys on the other side have played 13 or 14 games, he had such a good understanding of where to be and when to get there, even if not everything looked like it did in practice.'
Notre Dame OL Charles Jagusah tore his pec before the season….
Pretty damn cool to see big 56 pulling around to help that Leonard TD run get into the end zone! pic.twitter.com/PZQd2sdbxs
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) January 10, 2025
Jagusah subbed in at right guard against Penn State after Rocco Spindler's ankle gave out, with grad student Tosh Baker taking over at left tackle when Anthonie Knapp went down with his own ankle injury. Eleven days later, Jagusah started at left tackle in the national title game against Ohio State, holding up against surefire draft picks Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau.
The title game marked Notre Dame's fourth different starting offensive line last season, which will change again next fall after the transfer departures of Pat Coogan, Sam Pendleton and Spindler. Still, what offensive line coach Joe Rudolph produced was good enough for Notre Dame to make the semifinalist cut for the Joe Moore Award. What the Irish bring back might be good enough to win it — and spark another College Football Playoff run as the Irish break in a new quarterback.
Advertisement
'Injury and lack of a mobile quarterback might be the only thing that could hold them back. I think they're gonna ball,' said Mike Golic Jr., a former Notre Dame offensive lineman and current football analyst. 'The quality of the guys coming back and having the same voice and same backs, it's just about getting bigger and adjusting to not having that nuclear option with Riley Leonard in the run game.'
GO DEEPER
Marcus Freeman's first true QB battle is here. What will Notre Dame's offense look like?
This is all a major change from last offseason when Notre Dame kicked off at Texas A&M with six combined starts along the offensive line by choice after Billy Schrauth and Pendleton beat out Coogan and Spindler at guard. Knapp won the left tackle job over Baker after Jagusah's pectoral injury. Ashton Craig held down the center position until a torn ACL at Purdue. Aamil Wagner opened camp as the No. 1 right tackle and never looked back.
Whatever combination of linemen Notre Dame starts this season — the Irish will get a first look on March 18 when spring practice opens — it will be more experienced than last year. And there's no doubt it will be more talented if fully healthy. It's just a matter of who works where and how much.
'I'd put Charles at tackle. He's such an insane athlete,' Golic said. 'I'd be cool to see Anthonie at center. Ashton is a really good player, but Anthonie's body screams center to me. The athletic gifts that Charles has are best served on the perimeter. You could put him at guard and he'd be great. I don't even know want to say it. You know what I'm talking about …'
Asked if Golic was about to reference Jagusah being the next Quenton Nelson, the former Irish guard didn't want to say it out loud. But that's the kind of athletic potential he sees in the sophomore who's started two games and opened last camp as the most gifted lineman on the team in the eyes of the coaching staff.
Advertisement
Both Golic and Cubelic praised Rudolph for getting so much out of Notre Dame's offensive line under less-than-ideal circumstances. Maybe the Irish line wasn't great last season, its rushing totals buoyed by Leonard's legs plus the big plays from Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Notre Dame finished fifth nationally in yards per carry (5.66) despite getting bottled up during the College Football Playoff outside of Love's 98-yard touchdown run against Indiana. The Irish were middle-of-the-road in sacks allowed, No. 46 at 1.56 per game.
But Cubelic, more versed in SEC offensive line play than Notre Dame's, compared how the Irish managed injuries to the top lines from his home conference. He played center at Auburn.
'Georgia lost a guard. That group was done. Alabama lost a right guard early in the season, totally different offensive line,' Cubelic said. 'Can you survive when you lose somebody? Hell with thrive — can you just not be annihilated? Notre Dame essentially thrived. It took a while. But they thrived in the end.'
That's part of the reason why Notre Dame may have its best chance to win the Joe Moore Award since the 2017 line that featured Nelson and Mike McGlinchey. The Irish return Rudolph for a third season compared to Harry Hiestand back for his sixth that year. Not only does Notre Dame seem to have a good culture in the line room like back then, but it may have a few future pros, too, from Schrauth next spring (or in two springs) to Jagusah, Wagner and Craig. That doesn't get to freshman Guerby Lambert, who could push his way into the lineup somewhere.
'You could probably put the guys from this room back into our room and the culture fit would have been seamless. They have really identified that position well,' Golic said. 'You're gonna have a hard time figuring out the five best of the field next year. And that's awesome for Joe Rudolph to figure out.'
Golic and Cubelic will be watching as Notre Dame looks like a Joe Moore Award contender. Other members of the voting committee include former Irish All-American Aaron Taylor and Hiestand. Who knows: Cubelic may be scouting the Irish before a College Football Playoff game again next winter.
'They have to stay healthy because that's when the continuity skyrockets. You're not just coaching double-teams and pass sets, you can start to talk about how the safety is tilting and why the corner is lined up a certain way. It's the next level,' Cubelic said. 'And that's when we might be talking about where this line ranks in Notre Dame history instead of just being really good.'
GO DEEPER
Can Notre Dame keep winning big? 'This has to be the new normal'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
KICK-OFF: Underway in Atlanta!
Follow live as defending Club World Cup champions Manchester City continue their title defence in Atlanta Getty Images Manchester City are leading 3-0 against Al Ain in their second 2025 Club World Cup game. First-half goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Claudio Echeverri and Erling Haaland have put the Premier League side in a commanding position in this Group G fixture. Gundogan added his second in the second half before substitute Oscar Bobb added a fifth. Pep Guardiola made 11 changes to the team that started Wednesday's 2-0 win against Wydad AC, utilising his strong side to offer a rest to his players at the end of a long season. Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. How to watch: DAZN, TNT, truTV; highlights will be available on The Athletic You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free. GO FURTHER FIFA president Gianni Infantino hits back at Club World Cup criticism: 'It's something special' Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images 1' Manchester City 0-0 Al Ain The players are reading, the fans are ready, are you ready? Well you better be — the final game of the second round of group-stage fixtures at this Club World Cup is underway! With just five minutes to go until we are due to kick off, the players are being introduced from the tunnel. As we have seen throughout this tournament, they are coming out one by one. The first of the teams to make their way out was Manchester City, with Erling Haaland getting a particularly strong ovation from the crowd in Atlanta. Getty Images Pep Guardiola spoke to DAZN upon arrival to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 💬 'It is important for the players to be dynamic. We know that this is not a friendly game, today we have a huge opportunity to qualify for the next stage in this marvellous stadium. The heat and weather conditions will be better, so we can perform and take a result.' Getty Images There is still no Rodri in the starting XI for tonight's game, something Pep Guardiola explained in his pre-match press conference yesterday. 💬 'He's getting better. We can't forget, it's almost nine months since the sad day what happened. It's an injury between 10 and 12 months. It's a long injury. 'He's getting better and if he can play 20 to 30 minutes it'll be good. I know he wants to be there but we need to protect him and him feel good in his knee. 'The minutes he played last game help and hopefully tomorrow too. Hopefully one day soon he can play from the beginning.' Many brothers share a love of the same sport, even for the same football team. Atlanta will witness that at tonight's match, pitting not just two brothers against one another for 90 minutes but the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against its deputy president. One of the most prominent sons of the founding father of the Gulf nation is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, best known in the sports world for his purchase of Manchester City in 2008. He is vice-president of the UAE and deputy prime minister of Abu Dhabi. The person who handed him that title? Elder brother, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — known as MBZ. He is the president of the UAE, ruler of its capital Abu Dhabi, and president of Al Ain, who play in the city of that name in the latter emirate. Al Ain are very much, like the levers of power in the UAE, a family affair. So hopefully no bickering in the owners' box tonight! GO FURTHER The Abu Dhabi derby – Manchester City vs Al Ain is a contest between royal brothers Getty Images There are lots of Manchester City jersey here inside and outside the stadium, feels like more than there were in Philadelphia. Haaland really is the superstar now, though. The reaction he gets anytime the camera goes on him is hysterical. Gianni Infantino is brushing off early criticisms of the Club World Cup this summer. The FIFA president, speaking on a small stage at Fanatics Fest in Manhattan this weekend, backed the expanded competition, suggesting any hiccups over its opening week are to be expected because of its novelty. 'So, maybe some criticize it a little bit, but it's something new. It's something special. It's a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players.' The tournament has been condemned on multiple fronts. Global player organization FIFPro were outspoken in the additional demands an expanded tournament places on professionals, and, over the past week, several games featured large sections of empty seating as ticket sales failed to reach the kind of level Infantino would have hoped for. 'It was about time that somebody invented a World Cup for club teams,' Infantino said. 'Since 100 years, we know which is the best country in the world, but, until today, we do not really know which is the best team in the world. So, we thought it might not be a bad idea to create a World Cup for teams to decide.' GO FURTHER FIFA president Gianni Infantino hits back at Club World Cup criticism: 'It's something special' Getty Images The full-time whistle has just gone at Audi Field in Washington, DC and the points have been shared by RB Salzburg and Al Hilal. Both teams had chances to win it and will probably come away from the capital feeling frustrated not to have stolen the points, but it keeps them both alive in this tournament. The result leaves RB Sazlburg second in Group H with Real Madrid left to play while Al Hilal are third, two points back, but with Pachuca to play in their last group game. Getty Images There aren't many names that will be recognisable to football fans outside of the United Arab Emirates in the Al Ain squad. One of those that is very familiar, though, is Rui Patricio. The 108-time Portugal international had a debut to forget on Wednesday as he shipped five goals in the defeat to Juventus. Despite being a big signing coming into this tournament, he has been dropped from the starting XI along with five outfield players. UAE international Khalid Eisa has been restored to his position in goal and will make his 394th appearance for the club this evening. The opening game was a real disappointment for Al Ain as they were stuffed 5-0 by Juventus, so there are six changes to the starting XI for tonight's game: Starting XI: Eisa; Rabia, Park, Niang; Jasic, Nader, Al Baloushi, Zabala; Traore, Rahimi; Chadli. Getty Images Pep Guardiola said he'd change ten players yesterday. He's gone one better. Stefan Ortega comes in for Ederson in goal and means it's an entirely new XI from the team that beat Wydad. Rayan Ait-Nouri makes his debut at left-back following his move from Wolves, Nico Gonzalez comes in at the base of midfield with Matheus Nunes and Claudio Echeverri out wide supporting Erling Haaland. Bernardo Silva captains the side after his appointment as Kevin de Bruyne's replacement. Getty Images The benefit of having such a strong squad is that you can make wholesale changes — Pep Guardiola has completely changed the team that won on Wednesday: Starting XI: Ortega; Akanji, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Nico, Gundogan, Nunes; Silva, Haaland, Echeverri. Getty Images Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger was allegedly racially abused by Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral during today Club World Cup Group H fixture. Rudiger, 32, alerted referee Ramon Abatti following the alleged comment in stoppage time of Madrid's 3-1 victory in Charlotte and the match official subsequently performed FIFA's protocol gesture to signal alleged racist abuse. Cabral, 39, denied making a racist comment. Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso said that an investigation into the incident was under way. 'Toni has told us something, the FIFA protocol is activated and an investigation is under way,' Alonso said during his post-match press conference. 'We believe him. It is unacceptable.' In denying he had used racist language, Cabral said to reporters: 'It was a fight, we collided, he said that I hit him with my hand and then there was an argument and the referee made the sign of racism. In Argentina we say 'cagon de mierda' (a profanity used to call someone a coward), all the time I told him the same thing.' After being told of Cabral's explanation, Rudiger's camp reiterated his position to The Athletic. The Athletic has contacted FIFA for comment. Read more below GO FURTHER Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger allegedly racially abused by Pachuca's Gustavo Cabral at Club World Cup Getty Images The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is a little different with 32 teams competing — when the previous 20 editions never brought together more than eight clubs each. Still, the legacy of those early years will continue and a host of famous names will be looking to add to their previous victories. Here are the most successful clubs in this competition's history: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Real Madrid (2014, 2016-18, 2022) 🏆🏆🏆 Barcelona (2009, 2011, 2015) 🏆🏆 Corinthians (2000, 2012), Bayern Munich (2013, 2020) 🏆 São Paulo (2005), Internacional (2006), Milan (2007), Manchester Utd (2008), Inter (2010), Liverpool (2019), Chelsea (2021), Manchester City (2023). Reigning champions City will be hoping to add to that 2023 title two years later in this summer's tournament. Getty Images With the Club World Cup entering its second week, fans and spectators from around the world are learning just how chaotic summer weather can be in the United States. Weather has become a major focal point of the tournament, with four matches in four days experiencing weather-related delays that have at times suspended play for as long as two hours. Severe weather, such as extreme heat in Los Angeles or sudden thunderstorms in Orlando, is par for the course for Americans during the summer months of June and July and will likely mirror what we'll see at the men's World Cup in 2026. 'What you're seeing right now is very typical. This is not unusual at all,' Ben Schott, operations chief with the National Weather Service, told The Athletic on Friday. 'Next year, we may be going through the same thing.' Schott has been working closely with FIFA and organizers over the past eight months to prepare for next year, and is also overseeing his agency's planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. GO FURTHER Expect Club World Cup delays to repeat next summer, says weather chief John Stones has committed his future to Manchester City after admitting he questioned whether there was a way back from some 'dark days' during a 2024-25 season ravaged by foot and hamstring injuries. It limited him to only 13 starts in all competitions and the influx of new defenders in the last two transfer windows led to speculation as to whether he could be allowed to leave before his contract expires next summer. 💬 'I'm here, I want to stay here, I love it. I'm here to help the team. I don't know what's been said or speculated, but I hope that kind of shuts it down.' Stones, 31, also admitted he found the difficulty of diagnosing and treating his injury problems mentally challenging, before continuing to say the Club World Cup gives him an opportunity to get back to top shape. 'I feel great, I'm back fit, ready to help the team when called upon. Now I've put that behind me and used this as a mini introduction before the new season and another trophy for us to hopefully win and get some game time.' It was a comfortable and confident win for Juventus in the first match of the competition, a 5-0 thrashing of a disappointing Al Ain. First-half goals from Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz, bookended by a Randal Kolo Muani double, saw the Italian side 4-0 up at half-time and the game essentially wrapped up. Conceicao added his second just before the hour mark to make it a five-star opening win for Juve. The Emirati side will do well to avoid a similar result against the strength of City today. Getty Images It has been another busy day here in the United States at the Club World Cup. This is the fourth and final match on the second Sunday while there is one going on in Nashville as we speak. In the first game, Juventus were convincing winners against Wydad AC before 10-man Real Madrid saw off Pachuca. 12pm Juventus 4-1 Wydad AC (Boutouil OG, Yildiz x2, Vlahovic; Lorch) 3pm Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca (Bellingham, Guler, Valverde; Montiel) 6pm – latest score All times ET Getty Images Manchester City's opening 2-0 win against Wydad AC, of Morocco, was less convincing than it appeared. Wydad actually played pretty well in the first half generally, but were stung by goals right at the beginning and end of the half. Phil Foden capitalised on a goalkeeping error to volley home in the second minute, with Jeremy Doku poking in from a corner three minutes before the break. Despite Wydad's consistent threat on the counter-attack, they weren't able to find the net, and City held out for a clean sheet, even with Rico Lewis sent off for a sliding tackle on Samuel Obeng late on. You can't criticise City too much for three points and a clean sheet with a rotated side, but... their defensive vulnerabilities against Wydad will offer encouragement to some of the better sides in the competition, for sure. Page 2
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Atlanta Dream Star Makes History Against Chicago Sky on Sunday
Atlanta Dream Star Makes History Against Chicago Sky on Sunday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Atlanta Dream, widely regarded as one of the top contenders for a title, continue to find success in the 2025 WNBA season. Advertisement Atlanta recently defeated Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky 93-80 to advance to 10-4 on the season. With the victory over the Sky, Atlanta became the fourth team this season to get past the 10-win mark, joining the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Phoenix Mercury. During the matchup against the Sky, Dream star Allisha Gray entered a historic ranking in franchise history. Gray moved into fourth place on the Dream's all-time list for three-pointers made. She passed Renee Montgomery, who played with the Dream from 2018 to 2019. "With her fourth three-pointer of the game, Allisha Gray moves into fourth place on the Dream's all-time list for three-pointers made—surpassing Renee Montgomery," posted the public relations page of the Atlanta Dream. Renee Montgomery had an incredible WNBA career that ended with the Atlanta Dream. She played her final two seasons with the Dream after spending time with the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun. Advertisement During her WNBA career, Montgomery won two league titles with the Lynx. She also made the All-Star game in 2011 and was named Sixth Woman of the Year in 2012. Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner celebrating with Allisha Suanes-Imagn Images Allisha Gray has been with the Atlanta Dream for the past three seasons. She has started in every game she has been active for the Dream and is on pace to record career marks this season. In her third season with the Dream, Gray has averaged 20.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. During the matchup against Angel Reese and the Sky, Gray posted 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. She knocked down five three-pointers in the process. Advertisement Related: Fever Coach Stephanie White's Replacement Sends Strong Message on Caitlin Clark Related: Los Angeles Sparks Releases Caitlin Clark's Former Teammate After Scoring 0 Points This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chase Elliott Didn't Know that the NASCAR In-Season Tournament Paid $1 Million
For the first time, NASCAR is attempting an in-season tournament to add drama to the end of the regular season. In its first year, the rules and seeding have been confusing to some, with some drivers avoiding news of the tournament completely. 2020 Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott admitted to The Athletic's Jeff Gluck that he didn't know there was a prize associated with the tournament, and now that he knows it's a million dollars, he wants to win it. With Elliott's fifth-place finish at Pocono Sunday evening, he moved up to fifth in the seeding and will face Austin Dillon in a head-to-head match-up next week at the newly named Echo Park Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia. The last three races, which coincided with the end of Amazon Prime's coverage of NASCAR, determined the seeding for the 32 drivers participating; those 32 drivers were locked in based on points leading into the race at Michigan International Speedway three weeks prior. The driver with the best two finishes would get the top seed, with their worst finish being the least important in the seeding. This caveat was greatly appreciated by Denny Hamlin, who stayed home last weekend when the NASCAR Cup Series visited Mexico City for the first time, just hours after Hamlin welcomed his newborn baby boy. The 32 drivers will face off in Atlanta, with the highest finishing in each match-up moving to the round of 16 at the Chicago Street Race. Eight drivers will remain in the hunt for the million-dollar payday at Sonoma, then four at Dover, and the final two will duel at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of July. Hamlin was able to claim the No. 1 seed even with his DNS in Mexico thanks to his win at Michigan and his runner-up finish today at Pocono. Hamlin will face Ty Dillon, who had the worst performance of the tournament drivers with a best finish of 24th and two 33rd-place finishes. Sunday's winner, Chase Briscoe, moved up to the second seed and will face Noah Gragson next week. Briscoe and Hamlin are the only two winners since Mexico City was won by a racer not in the top 32 points position at the start of the tournament. Last week, Shane van Gisbergen won the Mexico City race, but since he was 33rd in the points at the beginning of the seeding rounds, he's not included in the year's tournament. Chris Buescher, with the third seed, will face Todd Gilliland. Christopher Bell, who won Atlanta's spring race, takes the fourth seed to face off against Ricky Stenhouse Jr. As previously mentioned, Elliott faces the elder Dillon brother, with his third-place finish in Mexico and fifth at Pocono, deleting his mid-pack finish of 15th at Michigan. Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney follow as the other two drivers with third-place finishes. Gibbs will face Justin Haley, and Blaney will face Carson Hocevar, who has been hot in recent races, even if his best finish of 18th doesn't show it. Eighth Seed Alex Bowman is matched with 25th seed Joey Logano. Bubba Wallace, who suffered a mechanical issue at Pocono, stayed ranked in ninth and will face Daniel Suárez. We have a sprint car vs. late model duel in 10th-ranked Kyle Larson vs. 23rd-ranked Tyler Reddick. Michael McDowell is matched with AJ Allmendinger and John Hunter Nemechek against Josh Berry. 13th-seeded Ross Chastain faces 20th-seeded Eric Jones, followed by Zane Smith against Austin Cindric. Ryan Preece, who finds himself the first driver under the cutline, is surprisingly the higher seed in his matchup against William Byron, the regular-season points leader who secured his playoff-clinching win early but has a best finish of ninth in the last three rounds. The final match-up is between two former Cup champions, with 2015 and 2019 champion Kyle Busch seeded one position ahead of 2012 champion Brad Keselowski in 16th and 17th, respectively. The in-season tournament is designed to provide fans with another layer of excitement during these closing summer races, mirroring similar tournaments in stick-and-ball sports, most notably the NBA Cup, which was announced in 2023 and has been played twice, with the Los Angeles Lakers winning it in 2023 and the Milwaukee Bucks winning it last winter. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
