Notre Dame coaches have talked since the spring about mixing and matching pieces on the offensive line to find the best unit. That approach has helped Guerby Lambert get back to where he’s far more comfortable, on the outside. In 2026, he’s expected to be the starting right tackle, and he recently talked about how much better he feels there after spending 2025 at right guard.
“I’m a lot more comfortable, especially in pass pro,” Lambert told the media after a recent practice. “I was able to learn a lot at guard, especially the physicality of the game. Playing guard helped me a lot.”
Lambert wasn’t surprised or dismayed when offensive line coach Joe Rudolph told him last year that Notre Dame needed him at right guard. Moving players around has long been a staple of Rudolph's approach. Left tackle Will Black played quite a bit of guard last year as well. Rudolph puts players where he thinks they’ll best benefit the team, regardless of where they played in high school or the prior season.
Lambert added that while he wasn’t surprised when he moved to right guard, it took him a little bit to get it down. Once he understood what the position needed, he was pretty darn good. He believes Rudolph used inside play to bring out a physicality Lambert hadn’t shown before, and he can now apply that to right tackle this fall.
Guerby Lambert feels at home as Notre Dame football starting right tackle
Now that he’ll face lighter bodies, he can use that physicality and his 6-foot-7, 325-pound frame as a major advantage at right tackle.
“I feel like at guard, everything happens like now, especially when you have bigger guys,” said Lambert. “They’re more in your face. When you’re facing bigger guys inside, you’re forced to use that. Guys like (Anthonie) Knapp naturally had it at tackle, but the bigger guys you have, the more physical you have to be inside.”
There could still be a little bit of shuffling on the Notre Dame offensive line before all is said and done. Lambert thought he would start the season playing next to Matty Augustine, who seemingly had the inside track at right guard, but Augustine underwent surgery earlier this month and is expected to be out for the next 6 to 8 weeks.
Sullivan Absher looks to be the guy who will step in and take that job now. While Absher and Lambert have been teammates for years, the pair are working on improving communication to make the Fighting Irish offensive line as good as it can be.
As long as the current iteration of the Notre Dame offensive line stays the way it is entering Saturday, Guerby Lambert feels right at home and comfortable with how good he and his unit will be. Even without Augustine for the start of the season, the unit could still be the best in the nation.
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