Coming into 2026, the one unit that didn’t seem likely to deliver a surprise at Notre Dame was the offensive line. But the best laid plans of mice and men …
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph has never been one to lock in on a preconceived notion of what his group will look like when the season starts. He’s never been scared of moving guys around to positions they might be relatively inexperienced at if he thinks it makes the starting five better as a group. Rudolph’s also never been afraid to anoint a player who might have flown under the radar until the day he got the nod.
This year, the “under the radar” guy on Notre Dame’s offensive line who could turn into a massive surprise is Styles Prescod. The man who entered training camp as the primary backup at either tackle spot is now the potential starter at right guard.
“Listen, the competition at right guard is open,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock told the media after practice earlier this week. “And we’ve got a number of guys we're taking a look at in there. Styles is one of those guys.”
Styles Prescod’s guard work earns Notre Dame football starting opportunity
Prescod got his shot to really show he could take over right guard during the August 21 jersey scrimmage. He showed enough that he was doing drill work Tuesday as a guard in between Ashton Craig and starting right tackle Guerby Lambert. Lambert, coincidentally, was last year’s starter at right guard and is happy he’s back at his more natural tackle spot.
“We put (Prescod) in there in the scrimmage and saw some really natural things happen from him in there,” Denbrock added. “We're going to keep trying to figure out what the best combination is up front. But Styles is definitely in the mix to become one of the five that goes out there.”
A homegrown 6-foot-6, 304-pound product of Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana, Prescod has impressed coaches with the way he works even when he’s the backup. Now he’s impressing them again as he guns for a starting job.
When playing for Notre Dame, it’s never a surprise that someone like Styles Prescod could eventually show the talent to be in the starting lineup. It just didn’t seem like it might ever happen for him after he missed all of 2024 with an injury and played in just seven games in 2025.
Prescod racked up just 88 total snaps on the line last year, and they were all at left tackle. His season high was in Week 4 against Purdue when he was on the field for 20 snaps once the game was out of hand in favor of the Fighting Irish.
Denbrock did caution that Notre Dame might still decide he’s more valuable as a “clear backup” at either tackle spot. But the Irish offensive coordinator also said Prescod has earned a chance to compete for a starting spot, and 2026 might be the shot.
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