We are working our way through Notre Dame’s 2025 recruiting class composed of 24 signees from all over the United States. Today we’re taking a look at the big fellas on the interior of the offensive line.
Offensive Lineman Cameron Herron
Bio:
While not super local, Herron comes from the well known in-state football school Warren Central in Indianapolis. He began picking up scholarship offers in the spring of 2023 before committing to Iowa in June of 2024 following an official visit. A few months later, Herron took an official visit to Notre Dame, picked up a scholarship offer, and committed to the Irish on October 14th of last year.
Ranking:
321st overall, 18th IOL, 6th in Indiana with a 0.9023 Composite score.
Size:
Herron is not very tall for an offensive lineman and is listed at 6’2″ by Notre Dame while 6’3″ was more common on the recruiting sites. It always amuses me in football terms to call a 6’2″ person not tall, by the way.
We probably shouldn’t expect him to grow into a 330-pound lineman. He’s listed at 288 pounds on the 2025-26 roster and Herron has a very muscular and developed body. In fact, he looks less like an offensive lineman and a lot more like an explosive athlete on the defensive line.
Hype Factor: 5.5/10
Sure, in the national rankings this wasn’t a big deal but Notre Dame did a really good job stealing Herron away from Iowa so late in the process. I think his ceiling is limited due to a lack of being 6’5″ or taller. However, he has the potential to be an outstanding center.
Outlook: Start Snapping
Herron is on campus now and will be participating in spring practice. Of course, there’s discussions about whether he’ll play guard or center. To me, he has to be the next in line at center for the future. I would get him learning how to snap immediately. One of Herron’s strengths is his quickness and while that could be a huge advantage at guard I really see All-American potential at center. Since he joined so late in the cycle some Irish fans might not be totally aware of him but Herron is someone I think has very good odds at being an excellent starter for Notre Dame in the future.
Offensive Lineman Matty Augustine
Bio:
Augustine comes from Connecticut and was teammates at the Brunswick School with incoming quarterback Blake Hebert. He picked up a number of big offers from Alabama, Miami, Florida, Michigan, Florida State, Ohio State, and Penn State along with Notre Dame in the summer of 2023. In February 2024, Augustine committed to Notre Dame and had a very quiet recruitment until signing with the Irish in December.
Ranking:
447th overall, 34th OT, 4th in Connecticut with a 0.8921 Composite score.
Size:
Full disclosure, Augustine played tackle in high school and standing at 6’7″ on the new roster that could be his long-term position for Notre Dame. However, for the sake of spreading out these articles and avoiding a numbers jam at tackle, I have placed Augustine as a guard.
He’s listed at a solid 292 pounds and appears to have gained a significant amount of weight. In his highlights linked above from his junior year he looks more like a big tight end blocking. From the earlier days of his recruitment, Augustine was listed as low as 255 pounds. So, a gain of 40 pounds is major progress for a potential Irish lineman.
Hype Factor: 4.5/10
This is a curious case. Augustine has one of the best offer lists among these Notre Dame recruits from 2025 and yet he barely made it to 4-star status in the Composite. To my knowledge, top programs saw a really tall and athletic lineman who also excelled at basketball, which is always a good sign. Will it all come together for a stellar career in football?
Outlook: On Guard
As I mentioned, Augustine would project more to tackle but the problem is Notre Dame is loaded at that position, just brought in maybe the best tackle in the country in his class, and brought in another prospect who is projected to be larger and more of a tackle than Augustine. So, I’m not sure how this will play out. That’s why it might be possible for Augustine to develop slowly, gain more weight, and begin his career as a versatile guard who moves really well.
Agree totally on Herron. If his weight is correct, he’ll only need to add 10-15 lbs. He moves with superb quickness. Might be a gem at center.
Word is Augustine made big strides his senior year. A kid that commits as early as he did, doesn’t move in the rankings as much. Great frame. He should aim to start by year three.
Do you think the coaching staff would consider moving him to DT?
Unlikely, but never say never.
This goes wayyyyy back. But if I remember correctly, Herron was possibly the best OL at Irish Invasion. I think size and the fact ND landed 3 of its top OL prospects was the reason it took so long for them to offer.