When he's healthy, Notre Dame center Ashton Craig is one of the best in the country. He's already been named to the Rimington Award Watch List which is award to the nation's top center in college football. Unfortunately, we have yet to see the Indiana native finish a regular season as the starting center. In 2023, he started the final three games of the season and was the incumbent the following year. Then, in 2024 he started the first three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Purdue.
This past season, Craig battled back and was in the starting lineup for their season opener against Miami on the road. He started and played the first six games but went down with another season-ending knee injury against NC State at home. The 6-5, 315-pound center is back for his fifth year with the Fighting Irish and is putting in the work to be the guy we know he can be this season. Fortunately, he's been able to remain engaged despite missing so much time.
"It's my second time going around so I had a good idea of what to do and what to expect," Craig explained. "For me, it was mainly about finding a better way to go about recovery. If that's doing extra stuff like cold tubs. I was also trying to help as much as I could for the guys who were playing while I was watching. It was just a mixture of both; just trying to better my best and better the guys around me as well."
That's been a key area of growth for Craig the last two seasons: his leadership. He's one of the most experienced offensive lineman in the room considering some of the games he's started in and his duration with the program. His leadership is going to shine this season, and he doesn't have to be on the field to have his presence be felt.
"When I'm out, I'm always trying to help the guys," Craig shared. "When they're coming off the field, I'm one of the first guys there just to go through the plays with them. If there's something that they're struggling with, I'm right there for them to go through it and help them through it. That also starts with our lifts or the meetings. I've got to be vocal and a leader in those rooms as well which I feel like I've been doing."
One of the players Craig has taken under his wing is sophomore left tackle Will Black who is seemingly entering his first year in the starting lineup. Black was an exceptional talent coming out of high school and now he'll have his chance to show the Fighting Irish faithful what he's capable of. Craig is confident in what we'll see from the 6-7, 316-pound tackle this fall.
"I think it's just being able to play free," Craig answered when asked what the biggest challenge would be this season for Black. "He's a super talented athletic. I mean, he's a super strong kid. For him, he's just got o let it go and play free. And I think he's getting there. He's really close and I'm excited to see what he's going to do this year."
There are lofty expectations around the offensive line this year. They have the potential to be Joe Moore Award finalists, or be the first Notre Dame unit to take home the award in nearly a decade. But Craig believes this will be a byproduct of elevating and handling their business day in and day out.
"Our goal, as a unit, is to play five as one and reach our full potential," Craig stated. "We're going to do that each and every day, whatever it takes. If that's the Joe Moore Award, then it's the Joe Moore Award. But each and every day, we're literally just trying to better our best and do whatever it takes."
With the losses of running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price and the return of starting quarterback CJ Carr, the offensive line will have to be one of the primary drivers of success for this offense. It starts up front, and head coach Marcus Freeman believes this can, and should, be a line driven program. The offensive line will play a key role in that coming true and if Craig is able to get and remain healthy, the Indiana native will play a crucial role on this year's offensive line.
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