At this time last year, Matty Augustine reported five offers from Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Penn, Massachusetts and Vanderbilt.
Over the next 12 months, Augustine would receive 26 more scholarship offers, visit some of the most recognizable programs in college football, receive a three-star rating from Rivals and become a priority target in the 2025 recruiting class for several offensive line coaches.
But Notre Dame football, head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive line coach Joe Rudolph consistently set the bar in Augustine's recruitment. After hosting Augustine and his family for his fifth unofficial visit last month during junior day, the Irish were rewarded Tuesday with his verbal commitment.
Augustine committed to Notre Dame over finalists Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. He is the 17th commitment of Notre Dame's 2025 class, which has now picked up four commitments in February (OT Owen Strebig, WR Elijah Burress and WR Shaun Terry).
"The sky is the limit for Matty’s potential," Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick head coach Wayne McGillicuddy told Inside ND Sports. "Matty’s only played football for three seasons and the strides he’s made are unbelievable. He fell in love with the process and the weight room. You can see the difference in his tape from 2022 season to this past season. The size and the strength he developed in the weight room. He went from playing offensive tackle for us at 220-ponds three years ago to playing this past season at 285."
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound Augustine attends Brunswick, the same school that produced Ohio State 2023 offensive tackle signee Miles Walker and is home to 2025 safety commit Ethan Long. Augustine and Long accompanied each other on four of their five visits to Notre Dame dating back to last April, with their only separate visits coming when the two camped in South Bend at different points last summer.
"Right as I stepped onto that campus I just felt a sense of belonging and family," Augustine told Rivals. "I felt that from everyone I met — the team, coaching staff and recruits. On the academic side, I've grown up going to a small private school that's really focused on academics and I feel like it's great to be able to carry that over into college and go to such a prestigious university.
"On the football side, the coaches are the best in the country with coach Freeman leading the way and coach Rudolph is just amazing, especially seeing the way he leads that room through like meetings and practice and the culture he set up," he said. "It's just really cool to see when I'm there, so I can't wait to be there."
Although not ranked nationally in the Rivals250, Augustine slots in as the No. 3 player in Connecticut and the No. 40-ranked offensive tackle in the 2025 class. Rivals has assigned a 5.7 rating to Augustine, which places him as an All-Region Candidate with potential All-Conference ability according to the Rivals recruiting rankings formula.
"Augustine is full of potential and could play a variety of positions on the offensive line," Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman said. "At 6-foot-7 and nearly 300-pounds, Augustine has the size to compete at the highest levels of college football. He has crisp technique and does a great job as a run blocker. He drives his feet, gets his hands on defenders quickly, and drives them backwards with relative ease. Augustine does a good job of using his leverage at the point of attack and, when he does get to the second and third levels of the defense, he’s able to land key blocks to spring backs for big gains."
Augustine, who grew up with basketball as his main sport, starts on Brunswick's varsity team. On the gridiron, Augustine transitioned to left tackle as a junior after playing right tackle in 2022. Augustine did not start playing football until 2020.
"Augustine brings a basketball background to the field and that overall athleticism is easy to see when he is pass blocking," Friedman said. "His long arms and ability to quickly adjust are major assets in this area. Augustine will need to continue to develop physically before he’s able to be relied upon on a consistent basis and his lateral quickness will be put to the test as he faces more elite defensive linemen."
With Augustine's commitment, Notre Dame's class remains No. 1 in the Rivals recruiting team rankings with a 1,918-point total. Notre Dame has cracked the top 10 in the Rivals recruiting team rankings in three of the last four years but hasn't signed a top-five class since its No. 3 overall finish in the 2013 recruiting cycle.
If the Irish take a fourth offensive tackle in the 2025 class, Rudolph's remaining offered targets include David Sanders Jr., Josh Petty, Jack Lange and Avery Gach. Lange, a member of the Rivals250, released a top six that included Notre Dame last week and has set a visit for April.
While Augustine's committed to Notre Dame for his skill set and potential as a football player, McGillicuddy believes he'll excel off the field because of his personality.
"The best part about Matty is not only is he a great football player, he’s an even better kid," McGillicuddy said. "He’s so charismatic and always has a smile on his face that lights up a room. Notre Dame will be the perfect fit for him."
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND, @TJamesND and @cbowles01.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
