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Anthonie Knapp injury update: Marcus Freeman shares status of starting OL, plan for National Championship

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax•01/12/25•

BarkleyTruax

Anthonie Knapp
Notre Dame offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp. (Mike Miler/Blue & Gold)

Anthonie Knapp will miss Notre Dame‘s national championship game vs. Ohio State next week, according to Irish head coach Marcus Freeman.

Knapp left the Orange Bowl against Penn State in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game. Freeman revealed the severity of his true freshman offensive lineman’s injury during his most recent media availability.

“Knapp will miss this game,” Freeman said on Sunday. “He had a high ankle sprain and won’t be able to make it back.”

During the game, ESPN’s Molly McGrath reported that Knapp, “could hardly put any weight on his left ankle.” He was taken to the blue medical tent before he was officially ruled out for the rest of Notre Dame’s semifinal against the Buckeyes.

Knapp jumped into the starting lineup at the start of the year after Charles Jagusah suffered a season-ending injury. He would go on to make the most of the opportunity as a true freshman, appearing on the On3 True Freshman All-American Team. He earned similar honors from ESPN for the job he did at left tackle for the Fighting Irish in 2024.

While Knapp is set to miss the national title game, Freeman gave a more positive update on the injured Rocco Spindler. The offensive lineman suffered an injury during their CFP opener against Indiana and was questionable coming into the Fighting Irish’s Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal game vs. Penn State.

“But we expect Rocco to be able to, you know, we’ll see how he progresses,” Freeman continued. “He could practice, but I know he’ll give everything he has into making sure he’s prepared. As far as the starting lineup, we’ll do what’s best for our program, and we’ve got to figure that out.

“We have a week of preparation to make sure we get the right guys to start this game, and we’ll see what that is here in the next couple days.”

Notre Dame has roughly a week to get healthy along their offensive line heading into the national championship game vs. Ohio State. Kickoff is set for Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The Buckeyes are an 8.5-point betting favorite over the Fighting Irish as of Sunday.