Class Impact: Notre Dame Lands Offensive Tackle Matty Augustine

Breaking down how the commitment of Matty Augustine impacts the Notre Dame 2025 class and the Irish depth chart

Notre Dame has picked up a commitment from Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School standout Matty Augustine as the Irish continue its recruiting roll. Notre Dame beat out finalists Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin to land his commitment.

Let's take a look at how the pickup of Augustine impacts the Notre Dame 2025 class, how he fits into the Irish offense and a look at what makes Augustine a player that so many schools wanted.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Augustine is the 17th player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2025 class. He is the ninth offensive player to join the class and the third offensive tackle, joining Owen Strebig and Will Black.

Notre Dame landed four offensive linemen in the 2022 class, five in the 2023 class and four more in the 2024 class. With 13 players in three years, Notre Dame didn't have a big numbers need up front in the 2025 offensive line class. It's also not a great year nationally, so right now the desired number is three offensive linemen. Notre Dame could choose to take more, but this was the minimum number, so landing Augustine to go with Strebig and Black means the Irish have filled that need.

The 2021-23 classes had heavy inside numbers, so the 2024 and 2025 classes had to focus more on players that could play tackle. Notre Dame's entire focus in the 2025 class was on adding players with tackle frames and players that could line up on the edge. At 6-7 with long arms, Augustine certainly has the length to play on the edge. Black and Strebig also have great length and project as potential edge players, so the Irish staff has done well to restock the tackle depth chart moving forward.

NOTRE DAME FIT - FILM ANALYSIS

Augustine is still raw as a football player and is still making the transition from basketball, but you can see the edge traits. At 6-7 with long arms, he shows all the size Notre Dame wants and needs as a tackle. He also shows the athletic potential to play in space and thrive on the edge. Augustine is a tough player and likes to mix it up, and with his frame he could also move inside to guard if the need is there, so that versatility adds to his profile, but Augustine is being recruited to play tackle.

Notre Dame has worked hard the last couple of seasons to improve its size up front, and Augustine is part of that. He's listed at 290, but on film he doesn't look 290. He still looks on the thin side, but he has broad shoulders and a really good frame. If he is in fact 290 that's a very good sign, because it means he's going to still add a lot of good weight, which means Augustine could get into the 315+ pound range. Combine that with the fact he's 6-7 with long arms you can see why Notre Dame liked his frame so much.

The Brunswick standout is a quality athlete that comes off the line with quickness and force in the run game. He shows easy athleticism in space, and once his technique improves (see below) his edge movement skills in pass protection are going to be a strength. Augustine has inconsistent pad level, which needs to be improved, but when he keeps his base you can see a guy that has all the athletic traits needed to thrive in the Notre Dame offense.

My biggest surprise when I started watching Augustine was his willingness to be physical and play with power. As a former basketball player I expected the athleticism to be there, but figured he'd need to develop the demeanor needed to play football. I was wrong, and Augustine quickly embraced the physicality of the game. Augustine shows good lower body power and he does a good job working his feet through contact. He's a natural on the second level and he has the talent needed to thrive in the power runs (Inside Zone, Duo) and the movement runs (Counter, Outside Zone, etc).

Augustine was originally a basketball player and didn't start playing football until he got into high school. He's really only played the sport for three seasons, so there's plenty of work needed from a technical standpoint. Augustine is still learning the nuances of the position, and his lower body technique needs a lot of work, and he is still learning how to properly use his hands. While all these factors drag down his current grade, it isn't something that should be a concern from a future impact standpoint. All of it is correctable and time, and they can become strengths because the athletic tools are there.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2024 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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