Notre Dame football's offensive line remains in flux after injury, surgery announced Saturday
Lambert, the 6-foot-7, 334-pounder from Boston, recently underwent shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Irish coach Marcus Freeman said after Saturday's open practice that Lambert is 'expected back in the fall.'
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Third-year offensive lineman Charles Jagusah, who is getting a long look at right guard, hobbled off after taking a blow to his right foot/ankle on a goal-line play. Jagusah huddled with team athletic trainers and had the area retaped, but the starting left tackle in Notre Dame's past two season finales gave up multiple pressures upon his return.
Lambert, a high school teammate of Irish Vyper end Boubacar Traore, appeared in three regular-season games at right tackle last season. After playing a total of 53 offensive snaps, Lambert saw time on the field-goal unit in the final three games of the College Football Playoff.
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Junior running back Jeremiyah Love, the team's leading rusher last season, went down in a heap early in Saturday's controlled scrimmage. Freeman said Love suffered an injury to his right hamstring and would be reevaluated.
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'We took him out of practice just to be smart right there,' Freeman said. 'I don't think it's serious.'
Alabama graduate transfer Devonta Smith, the frontrunner to succeed Jordan Clark as the starting nickelback, was held out Saturday with an adductor muscle strain. Redshirt freshman Karson Hobbs took Smith's place with the first-string defense.
With Lambert out and starting right tackle Aamil Wagner on an individualized plan this spring, Notre Dame was using midyear enrollees Matty Augustine and Owen Strebig at right tackle while flipping second-year tackle Styles Prescod at both spots.
Returning starters Anthonie Knapp (left tackle), Billy Schrauth (left guard) and Ashton Craig (center) continue to work back from surgeries.
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Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph recently said the spring plan was for Lambert to 'get a ton of reps' at both right and left tackle.
'There were times last year we threw him in at guard, and he jumped in,' Rudolph said in late March. 'He's got that to him where he brings a maturity.'
Saturday's practice was the ninth of the spring for Notre Dame, which will conclude with the Blue-Gold Game on April 12 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame OT Guerby Lambert out for spring after shoulder surgery
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