SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Someday Billy Schrauth will be the answer to a trivia question having to do with why Marcus Freeman left his introductory press conference as Notre Dame head coach so abruptly back in December of 2021.
To start doing the job to which he had just been formally promoted.
Freeman’s father, Michael, in fact, was initially taken aback when his son hugged him, said goodbye in a rush and said he had a plane to catch.
It was to see Schrauth and his family at their ranch in Campbellsport, Wis., where the now Irish junior offensive lineman once had milking cows for the family’s livestock business on his chore list.
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Freeman and then-offensive coordinator Tommy Rees closed the deal with the uncommitted coveted recruit, who had been torn between the home-state Badgers and Notre Dame for months. Schrauth announced his verbal commitment to Notre Dame the next day and signed with the Irish just before Christmas. The four-star prospect’s ceiling was perceived to be that high, thus the extra sense of urgency.
And in the early days of training camp starting on July 31, the player who Schrauth was eventually supposed to turn into began showing up consistently.
“There’s a standard that’s been set here at ND, especially in our offensive line group, and that’s not going anywhere,” an ascending player on the most scrutinized position group for the seventh-ranked Irish in their on-ramp to the 2024 season.
“Carrying that over, knowing that’s there, and playing for those guys who used to wear the old gold helmets and used to be in that offensive line room, that’s what’s really important to us and me personally.”
“That’s the way our offensive line plays the game. That’s what’s important to us. We see the pictures of those guys who came before us and laid the standard.
“They did the hard work of showing what it is to be a Notre Dame offensive lineman. We show up and we get to do the easy part and keep holding that standard.”
Well, easy theoretically.
Starting left tackle Charles Jagusah’s season-erasing torn-pectoral muscle injury made things less easy, with one of Schrauth’s housemates, grad senior Tosh Baker, taking over for Jagusah, moving forward.
“It was tough to hear that for Charles,” Schrauth said. “But we’ve got a next-man-up mentality here. We’re excited for Tosh. It’s going to be a good opportunity for him.”
Schrauth can speak from experience. Last year, he got beaten out in fall camp by Rocco Spindler when Schrauth’s elite physical skills started getting mitigated by the overwhelm of a rush install of then-offensive coordinator Gerad Parker’s new offense.
But the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder moved into the starting lineup in November when Spindler was lost for the season against Clemson with a knee injury. Not only did he outplay what Spindler had done up to that point (10 games), only unanimous All-American Joe Alt had a higher season player grade from Pro Football Focus among ND offensive linemen who started at least one game in 2023.
Best friend, classmate and roommate Ashton Craig had a similar trajectory in replacing starting center Zeke Correll at roughly the same point in the season.
“Ashton and Billy the way they finished last year, the physicality they play with, the understanding,” ND O-line coach Joe Rudolph said. “They definitely have a chemistry, how they execute.
“They've truly taken an opportunity and just continue to rise with it, not only to finish the season, but carried it through the spring. And I think that's why they are where they're at right now.”
And now they're both doing it seamlessly through the install of new coordinator Mike Denbrock's remodeling of the offense.
But getting to this point didn’t come without struggle for Schrauth. Or staying patient and hungry.
“Get better. Stay where my feet were. That was a big thing,” Schrauth said of the best advice he received upon sliding down the depth chart last preseason. “Coach Free always said to me, ‘Just be where you’re at.’ There’s a lot of power in that.
“There’s a lot of power in staying present and being all-in on the moment — because that’s all you’ve got. That’s all you can control. Kudos to those guys for staying in my ear and believing in me.”
And now he’s on a mission to pull others along on his rise, to not just talk about living up to the past offensive line standards but actually do it. With so many doubts wafting around them from the outside.
“The leadership aspect is something — I’m really trying to be a guy everybody can depend on every rep,” he said. “I’ve been taking a lot of pride in that in this camp. … We’re really focused on this year and this team. We have a special team this year, and I’m fired up for it.”
And he’s fired up about facing All-America nose guard Howard Cross III in practice every day, and standout defensive tackle Rylie Mills too, and all the schematic wrinkles and waves of talent defensive coordinator Al Golden throws at the offense to sharpen them for a challenging opening night assignment against Texas A&M’s vaunted front.
“Every rep’s going to take your best,” Schrauth said of how an ND defense that ranked fifth nationally last season is pushing the offensive line’s evolution. “There’s no hanging on to the last rep or thinking about the next one. You’ve got to be exactly where you’re at, and you’ve got to be all in, because those guys are all in.”
“We’ve definitely been taking a step,” he continued. “We’re getting a lot of different looks from our defense and from our scout guys. It’s definitely been a progression. Today was our best day. Each day we’re really taking a step, and that’s huge. That’s what it’s all about. That’s all you can do.”
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