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Notre Dame picked up a commitment from Connecticut offensive tackle Matty Augustine. This has been a long time coming, and the Irish staff finally got it done, beating out several big time powers to land him.

Let's take a look at the profile for Augustine.

Hometown/High School: Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick School

Height/Weight: 6-7, 290

IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5

Player Comp: Kaleb McGary, Washington

Recruited By: Joe Rudolph

Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Nebraska, Missouri, UCLA, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Stanford, Kentucky, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia, Duke, Maryland, Indiana, Syracuse, Rutgers, Vanderbilt

247Sports: 3-star - No. 32 offensive tackle
On3: 3-star - No. 41 offensive tackle
Rivals: 3-star - No. 45 offensive tackle
ESPN: 3-star - No. 57 offensive tackle
On3 Consensus: 3-star - No. 391 overall - No. 33 offensive tackle
247Sports Composite: 3-star - No. 434 overall - No. 37 offensive tackle

Augustine is still raw as a football player and is still making the transition from basketball, but you can see the edge traits. At 6-7 with long arms, he shows all the size Notre Dame wants and needs as a tackle. He also shows the athletic potential to play in space and thrive on the edge. Augustine is a tough player and likes to mix it up, and with his frame he could also move inside to guard if the need is there, so that versatility adds to his profile, but Augustine is being recruited to play tackle.

Notre Dame has worked hard the last couple of seasons to improve its size up front, and Augustine is part of that. He's listed at 290, but on film he doesn't look 290. He still looks on the thin side, but he has broad shoulders and a really good frame. If he is in fact 290 that's a very good sign, because it means he's going to still add a lot of good weight, which means Augustine could get into the 315+ pound range. Combine that with the fact he's 6-7 with long arms you can see why Notre Dame liked his frame so much.

The Brunswick standout is a quality athlete that comes off the line with quickness and force in the run game. He shows easy athleticism in space, and once his technique improves (see below) his edge movement skills in pass protection are going to be a strength. Augustine has inconsistent pad level, which needs to be improved, but when he keeps his base you can see a guy that has all the athletic traits needed to thrive in the Notre Dame offense.

My biggest surprise when I started watching Augustine was his willingness to be physical and play with power. As a former basketball player I expected the athleticism to be there, but figured he'd need to develop the demeanor needed to play football. I was wrong, and Augustine quickly embraced the physicality of the game. Augustine shows good lower body power and he does a good job working his feet through contact. He's a natural on the second level and he has the talent needed to thrive in the power runs (Inside Zone, Duo) and the movement runs (Counter, Outside Zone, etc).

Augustine was originally a basketball player and didn't start playing football until he got into high school. He's really only played the sport for three seasons, so there's plenty of work needed from a technical standpoint. Augustine is still learning the nuances of the position, and his lower body technique needs a lot of work, and he is still learning how to properly use his hands. While all these factors drag down his current grade, it isn't something that should be a concern from a future impact standpoint. All of it is correctable and time, and they can become strengths because the athletic tools are there.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Irish Breakdown and was syndicated with permission.

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