2025 Notre Dame Projected Depth Chart - Defense

[ASFN Admin]

Notre Dame has built its recent success around playing outstanding defense, and the Irish will look to continue that under first-year coordinator Chris Ash. As we kick off summer coverage of the Fighting Irish it's time to take a look at the projected two-deep for the defense. Below is my best projection for what the starting lineup will be for the Irish. There are some positions that are highly likely but in other spots either the starter or the two-deep players will have to battle to secure these spots.

DEFENSIVE LINE​

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It's hard to project the Vyper position due to the injuries that kept two players out the entire spring (and most of the 2024 season) and a third missed the majority of the season. I'm putting Junior Tuihalamaka in the No. 1 spot because he's the only one right now who is healthy, and who I know will be healthy. Jordan Botelho was the starter for the first three games and he was replaced by Boubacar Traore, but both went down with early season ending injuries. Will they be 100-percent when the season starts? We need to see it, and once they do get back to full speed I expect one of them to rise to the top of the depth chart.

At defensive end it doesn't really matter which player you put No. 1 between Josh Burnham and Bryce Young. The reality is both will play a ton and this duo has a chance to far out-perform what we saw from the position a season ago.

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Notre Dame likely won't have an individual as dominant as Rylie Mills was for much of last season, but the depth and size of this position group is really impressive. Veterans Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye started the Blue-Gold Game and I expect them to start in the fall, but the starters aren't really all that important at this position. There will be a deeper rotation this fall, and we could easily see talented transfer Jared Dawson, redshirt junior Donovan Hinish or talented redshirt sophomore Armel Mukam battle for a starting role. What I'm confident in saying is that all five of those players are going to be part of the rotation, and talented younger players like Elijah Hughes, Sean Sevillano and possibly Brenan Vernon and Davion Dixon will also battle for a spot.

LINEBACKER​

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This is another position where a deep rotation will be used, so who starts isn't quite as important. Junior Drayk Bowen is entrenched as the starting Mike, but Jaylen Sneed, Jaiden Ausberry and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will all battle for the No. 1 spot at Will. All three will play and will play a lot, with Viliamu-Asa showing the ability to play both inside backer spots as well as being one of the top third-down pass rushers. There is incredible depth at this position, which is arguably Notre Dame's deepest position on the roster, but certainly the deepest on defense.

SECONDARY​

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Redshirt sophomore Adon Shuler is entrenched at one safety spot after an outstanding 2024 season, but the starter opposite him is still a major question. Luke Talich, Tae Johnson and JaDon Blair will continue to battle for that spot after they all performed well during the spring. Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman will join the mix this summer after missing time with an injury. I have him listed as the No. 2 behind Shuler but the reality is he will have a shot to win the starting field position as well. It will be a challenge for position coach Mike Mickens to establish a rotation that will be much deeper, longer and more athletic than it was a season ago when he used primarily a three-man rotation.

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This is the one group on defense where all the starters are locked in heading into the summer. Sophomore Leonard Moore and junior Christian Gray should form one of the best cornerback tandems in the country and Devonta Smith had a strong spring at nickel after coming over from Alabama. The depth chart behind them is a bit unsettled due to inexperience, but it's a talented group. Redshirt freshman Karson Hobbs could be the next man in at all three spots here, including nickel. Notre Dame's excellent freshman class of Dallas Golden, Mark Zackery and Cree Thomas will also fight for roles in the two deep. Zackery and Thomas could play either outside corner spot while Golden could play nickel and both outside corner spots.

PROJECTED TWO-DEEP​

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Irish Breakdown Content

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2025 Commit Rankings - Offense
2025 Commit Rankings - Defense

2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class

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