Billy Schrauth was a starter along the Notre Dame offensive line in parts of three seasons. He was also a captain during the 2025 season, even if injuries only allowed him to play in 7 games. While the Irish were hoping he might try to put in one more season, he has other plans.
On Friday morning, Schrauth announced he is headed to the NFL Draft, despite having another season of eligibility. In the process, he becomes the second captain and starting offensive lineman to leave South Bend a year early, joining Aamil Wagner as possible early NFL Draft picks.
Had he returned to Notre Dame next season, Schrauth would have been a fifth-year senior. He got to South Bend in 2022 but did not play in a game in his freshman season. He played in all 13 Notre Dame games in 2023, starting the final three. When he was healthy in 2024 and 2025, which was for 19 of 28 games, he was one of the top starters on the line.
Billy Schrauth joins Aamil Wagner in Notre Dame’s NFL-bound offensive line group
The final time Schrauth saw the field in 2025, he injured his knee in the first half of the USC game but chose to gut it out, return to action, and finish the game. The Irish won, 34-24.
However, just a few days later, it was revealed he was too severely injured to play again and was shut down for the rest of the year. At the time, there was some hope that he might return for the College Football Playoff, but then Notre Dame was snubbed.
Because they missed the playoffs, for Schrauth and everyone else at Notre Dame, it will forever be a "what could have been" ending to a season that had more promise than how it ended.