Notre Dame Commit Matty Augustine Has A Great Foundation To Build On
Notre Dame received a commitment from Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick School offensive tackle Matty Augustine on Tuesday, who joined Wisconsin star Owen Strebig and Connecticut standout Will Black as the three offensive lineman in the class. Augustine was a player that the Irish staff had been high on for some time now and eventually closed on him.
As a player, there aren’t many bigger risers among offensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class than Augustine. He had been pursued by such schools like the Irish, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Wisconsin among many others.
When you pop on the junior film, it isn’t hard to see why. Augustine brings a very appealing physical profile and foundation to build on.
EYE IN THE SKY
When Notre Dame first offered Augustine, he was about 265 pounds. Now he stands all of 6-7 and 290 pounds, boasting a massive yet clean frame to continue to develop. The biggest area that natural size and power are showcased is in the run game.
Brunswick School asks Augustine to drive block a ton, showcasing his brute strength and lower body explosiveness. Despite playing with poor pad level consistently, you can see the pop through his hips. On this particular play, he fits quickly and gets his hips under him. Once Augustine gains control, he is able to assert his dominance on the defensive end.
Augustine eventually gets him on skates, blowing him off the ball and into the end zone. He is a consistent finisher on film, showing a nice mean streak as a blocker. As Augustine learns to play lower, his impact in the passing game could be immense.
Possibly the most impressive part about Augustine is the power he has in hips. You can see the snap when he makes contact, really rolling his hips and creating easy movement at the point of attack.
In the run game, there are moments of absolute dominance for Augustine. In a power based system, he has upside at either right tackle or inside at offensive guard long term. For an offense under Mike Denbrock that is going to run a ton of inside zone, getting a guy like Augustine downhill and letting him displace gaps is a great proposition.
There is springiness out of Augustine’s stance as an athlete. When he is uncovered and works to the second level, you can see that explosiveness and ease working to space. Augustine brings requisite athleticism to the table to stick at offensive tackle on the next level.
Blocking in space isn’t easy but Augustine quickly located and fits on the linebacker. Once he gains control, Augustine once again showcases his natural power. He drops his hips on contact and creates a ton of movement. It’s really impressive stuff.
As a lateral athlete, Augustine’s pad level does hurt his ability to play literally and redirect. He is still able to functionally reach and gain control but with added attention to his bend, it could be so much easier.
You can see the issue on this particular reach block. Yes, Augustine eventually gains control but his initial step doesn’t gain enough width and he has to work extra hard early in the rep. More bend will allow him to gain more ground and make it easier for Augustine. Once he does, he should be able to contribute well to an outside zone scheme.
As a pass blocker, Augustine plays with a nice level of control and effort. He stays patient out of his stance, clearly understanding the importance of punch timing.
The best part is that his hands don’t get complacent at all. He shows the ability to continue to work and strike, while also staying balanced. That allows for him to stay in control throughout reps. It’s pretty impressive for a player who was extremely raw as a sophomore.
For players that play too high, it’s hard to really harness their core strength and anchor. The impressive part about Augustine is that he still is able to flash those raw traits despite the lack of bend.
Once the defender threatens inside of Augustine’s frame, you can see him dig his cleats in and anchor as a pass protector. That’s especially impressive when you consider that Augustine had a major weight gain from last season. That raw power is super impressive.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When you are talking about Augustine, you are selling yourself on the raw tools to use as building blocks. He has a ton of upside he brings to the table, boasting the body type, length, requisite athleticism and raw power to develop into a good starter down the road.
Development is going to be key for him. If the Notre Dame staff is able to help improve his pad level and comfort in his moment, he could really explode on the next level. The tools are certainly there.
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