Anthonie Knapp will start the first game of his college career.
No. 7 Notre Dame football named Knapp its starting left tackle on Monday via the official depth chart released for Saturday's season opener at No. 20 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m. EDT on ABC).
That puts Knapp on a path to become only the third true freshman to start on the offensive line in a Notre Dame season opener since the NCAA restored freshman eligibility in 1972. Sam Young became the first as a right tackle against Georgia Tech in 2006. Blake Fisher made his debut at left tackle against Florida State in 2021.
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Joining Knapp on the left side of the line will be sophomore guard Sam Pendleton. He beat out Notre Dame’s two most-experienced returning starters from last season: senior guard Pat Coogan (13 starts) and graduate senior guard Rocco Spindler (10 starts).
Pendleton spent a lot of time in the offseason and started preseason camp as the No. 2 center behind junior Ashton Craig. But he was given a chance to compete for the starting job at left guard and won over offensive line coach Joe Rudolph.
The rest of Notre Dame’s offensive line has been set since the start of camp July 31. Craig and junior right guard Billy Schrauth returned to their roles after starting the final three games of last season due to injuries. Craig replaced Zeke Correll following a concussion. Schrauth filled in for Spindler following a knee injury.
Junior right tackle Aamil Wagner will join Knapp and Pendleton in making their first career starts. Wagner played in seven games as a backup right tackle last season. The Irish line will enter the game with six career starts combined for the starters.
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Knapp and graduate senior Tosh Baker fought for the starting left tackle role after after sophomore Charles Jagusah suffered a torn pec in preseason training camp. In his lone interview session with reporters, Rudolph put his support behind Baker soon after the Jagusah injury. But that didn't last long with Knapp showing tremendous growth and an ability that will likely outplay his recruiting rankings.
Rivals rated Knapp as a three-star recruit out of Roswell (Ga.) High. It also ranked Knapp as the No. 69 offensive tackle in the 2024 class. Now he's Notre Dame's No. 1 left tackle for the 2024 season.
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