Notre Dame football injury report: OT Guerby Lambert out for spring

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A spring in which offensive tackle Guerby Lambert could have made a case to enter Notre Dame’s starting lineup next season ended with a shoulder injury.

Lambert, a 6-foot-7, 334-pound lineman entering his sophomore year, recently had shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shared the news following Saturday’s practice along with the expectation that Lambert will be healthy to compete in the fall.

Lambert qualified for a redshirt year as a freshman last fall by playing in only three regular season games. Lambert played primarily late in blowout victories and took on a role on the field goal unit in the final three games of the College Football Playoff.

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With four potential starters limited in some capacity this spring — Aamil Wagner, Billy Schrauth, Anthonie Knapp and Ashton Craig — Lambert was receiving plenty of opportunities at both left and right tackle to prove if he can push for a spot in the 2025 starting lineup. Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph cited Lambert’s maturity as a reason he could bounce between positions.

Now the Irish will have to wait until the fall to get a better gauge on Lambert. Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Game is scheduled for next Saturday, but the Irish may continue to do spring work in the week that follows the annual spring scrimmage.

During Saturday’s practice, the ninth of the spring, Notre Dame did a lot of scrimmage work. Sophomore-to-be Styles Prescod took first-team reps at left tackle. Early enrolled freshman Matty Augustine took first-team reps at right tackle.

Notre Dame star running back Jeremiyah Love was limited during the practice with a hamstring issue. Freeman said he didn’t believe the injury was serious, but he still needed a full report from the training staff.

Alabama graduate transfer Devonta Smith, who joined the Irish this winter as a first-team nickelback, was held out of competitive portions of Saturday’s practice as a precaution after dealing with apparent tightness in his hip, per Freeman’s uncertain description.

“We want to see him really compete in the spring game,” Freeman said of Smith.

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