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The outlook for Notre Dame's 2026 defensive tackle room was looking bleak to kickoff the offseason. Thankfully, a player withdrew from the portal, a sixth-senior was granted eligibility, a new coach in Charlie Partridge was hired and Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray was plucked from the transfer portal. Gray is expected to have an impactful season along the Fighting Irish defensive line and play an integral role on, what's expected to be, a title-contending defense in 2026.
Here is our 2026 season preview and profile for Gray:
Class/Eligibility: Junior/Sophomore
Height/Weight: 6-5, 330
Hometown/High School: St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central
2025: 18 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 6 run stops 1 pressure (PFF)
2024: 1 tackle, 1 run stop, 1 pressure (PFF)
CAREER: 19 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 7 run stops, 2 pressures (PFF)
After redshirting his freshman season in 2024, Gray took on a much bigger role on Oregon's defense in 2025. He played in 13 games last season, started in the first three against Montana State, Oklahoma State and Northwestern, played 232 snaps and ramped up his production. The Ducks never asked the 6-5, 330-pound defensive tackle to get after the quarterback; Gray was used more as a plugger and a run stopper during his time in Eugene.
Due to his performance in 2025, Gray was one of the top defensive tackles in the 2026 transfer portal cycle according to Max Olson of ESPN. Rotating in with Oregon's stout defensive line was an accomplishment on its own, and Gray is expected to have a more significant impact in South Bend. He's one of the few defensive linemen on the roster that have experience in a College Football Playoff game. Gray played against James Madison, Texas Tech and Indiana and played at least 17 snaps in all three games.
The St. Louis native is a much more athletic tackle than one may think based on looking at his stature on the roster. After watching him in the spring, it was clear that he had much more nimble feet and significantly more athleticism to his game than I thought he had when Notre Dame signed him back in January. Gray was very physical at the point of attack, anchors well and went against very good competition during spring training against the Fighting Irish offensive line.
Gray will have to pick up where he left off as the Irish surge through the offseason, get into summer workouts and prepare for fall camp. The 6-5, 330-pound defensive tackle still has some growing to do within Notre Dame's defense. He'll be expected to take on a larger role for Partridge and the Chris Ash defense. But Gray routinely showed throughout spring that he anchors well, can be very disruptive against the run and started to show signs of getting after the passer. That will be something he'll have to build on in fall camp.
With the defensive tackle room getting healthier, the competition will begin to ramp up. Sixth year senior Jason Onye will return to the rotation, Armel Mukam will continue to improve and fellow transfer Francis Brewu will also be well in the mix. Gray has the opportunity to enter the starting lineup, and his chances of that happening increase significantly with a strong fall camp.
I fully expect Gray to be well within the defensive tackle rotation in 2026. While Notre Dame might not have the No. 1 'premier guy' returning along the interior, they have waves of players they can throw at you. The Missouri native is a big member of that wave, literally and figuratively. Notre Dame ended the 2025 season with one of the best rush defenses in the country. They held opponents to 100.1 rushing yards per game which ranked 11th in the country. The Irish also held opposing teams to 2.9 yards per carry (No. 10) and only allowed eight rushing touchdowns on the season which ranked 4th in the country.
Gray's skillset fits perfectly with what Ash wants to do against the run. The biggest question for him will be what kind of impact will he have on 3rd down in obvious passing situations? Will he grow as a pass rusher? Will the defensive staff utilize him in those situations? Those questions remain unanswered as we gear up for fall camp. Nonetheless, I expect Gray to have a significantly more productive season for the Irish in 2026 than he did for Oregon in 2025. To put rough numbers behind it, I'd see anywhere around 20 to 25 tackles, 4.0 to 5.0 tackles for a loss with some pressures sprinkled in.
One where Gray becomes a vocal point of the run defense. He brings a perfectly mixed bag of size and athleticism that has been lacking overall from the defensive tackle room. There's been some really good players and NFL draft picks that have come through South Bend at the defensive tackle position, but very few, if any, were put together like Gray. His acquisition from the portal was intentional, and it's not just because he was one of the top names in the cycle. Gray fits what Notre Dame likes to do on defense. A good season for the St. Louis native would looks very similar to Jarron Jones in 2016 where he racked up 45 tackles, 11.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks.
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Here is our 2026 season preview and profile for Gray:
TIONNE GRAY PROFILE
Class/Eligibility: Junior/Sophomore
Height/Weight: 6-5, 330
Hometown/High School: St. Louis, Mo./Hazelwood Central
CAREER STATS
2025: 18 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 6 run stops 1 pressure (PFF)
2024: 1 tackle, 1 run stop, 1 pressure (PFF)
CAREER: 19 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 7 run stops, 2 pressures (PFF)
2025 SEASON IN REVIEW
After redshirting his freshman season in 2024, Gray took on a much bigger role on Oregon's defense in 2025. He played in 13 games last season, started in the first three against Montana State, Oklahoma State and Northwestern, played 232 snaps and ramped up his production. The Ducks never asked the 6-5, 330-pound defensive tackle to get after the quarterback; Gray was used more as a plugger and a run stopper during his time in Eugene.
Due to his performance in 2025, Gray was one of the top defensive tackles in the 2026 transfer portal cycle according to Max Olson of ESPN. Rotating in with Oregon's stout defensive line was an accomplishment on its own, and Gray is expected to have a more significant impact in South Bend. He's one of the few defensive linemen on the roster that have experience in a College Football Playoff game. Gray played against James Madison, Texas Tech and Indiana and played at least 17 snaps in all three games.
FALL CAMP PREVIEW
The St. Louis native is a much more athletic tackle than one may think based on looking at his stature on the roster. After watching him in the spring, it was clear that he had much more nimble feet and significantly more athleticism to his game than I thought he had when Notre Dame signed him back in January. Gray was very physical at the point of attack, anchors well and went against very good competition during spring training against the Fighting Irish offensive line.
Gray will have to pick up where he left off as the Irish surge through the offseason, get into summer workouts and prepare for fall camp. The 6-5, 330-pound defensive tackle still has some growing to do within Notre Dame's defense. He'll be expected to take on a larger role for Partridge and the Chris Ash defense. But Gray routinely showed throughout spring that he anchors well, can be very disruptive against the run and started to show signs of getting after the passer. That will be something he'll have to build on in fall camp.
With the defensive tackle room getting healthier, the competition will begin to ramp up. Sixth year senior Jason Onye will return to the rotation, Armel Mukam will continue to improve and fellow transfer Francis Brewu will also be well in the mix. Gray has the opportunity to enter the starting lineup, and his chances of that happening increase significantly with a strong fall camp.
2026 EXPECTATIONS
I fully expect Gray to be well within the defensive tackle rotation in 2026. While Notre Dame might not have the No. 1 'premier guy' returning along the interior, they have waves of players they can throw at you. The Missouri native is a big member of that wave, literally and figuratively. Notre Dame ended the 2025 season with one of the best rush defenses in the country. They held opponents to 100.1 rushing yards per game which ranked 11th in the country. The Irish also held opposing teams to 2.9 yards per carry (No. 10) and only allowed eight rushing touchdowns on the season which ranked 4th in the country.
Gray's skillset fits perfectly with what Ash wants to do against the run. The biggest question for him will be what kind of impact will he have on 3rd down in obvious passing situations? Will he grow as a pass rusher? Will the defensive staff utilize him in those situations? Those questions remain unanswered as we gear up for fall camp. Nonetheless, I expect Gray to have a significantly more productive season for the Irish in 2026 than he did for Oregon in 2025. To put rough numbers behind it, I'd see anywhere around 20 to 25 tackles, 4.0 to 5.0 tackles for a loss with some pressures sprinkled in.
A GOOD SEASON FOR GRAY WOULD BE ....
One where Gray becomes a vocal point of the run defense. He brings a perfectly mixed bag of size and athleticism that has been lacking overall from the defensive tackle room. There's been some really good players and NFL draft picks that have come through South Bend at the defensive tackle position, but very few, if any, were put together like Gray. His acquisition from the portal was intentional, and it's not just because he was one of the top names in the cycle. Gray fits what Notre Dame likes to do on defense. A good season for the St. Louis native would looks very similar to Jarron Jones in 2016 where he racked up 45 tackles, 11.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks.
-------
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
BECOME A MEMBER
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
Continue reading...
