Five highest rated Notre Dame defenders according to PFF a quarter of the way through the 2025 college football regular season 

After a really unimpressive start to the season for the Notre Dame defense, Chris Ash’s defense seemed to show some growth during the second half of the Arkansas game. It’s uncertain whether that was sustainable growth or just a good half of football, but Fighting Irish fans everywhere will be hoping for the former. If not, Marcus Freeman’s team won’t be able to reach their overall potential.

Pro Football Focus does some great things from a data collection perspective, but their player grades tend to raise some eyebrows. The top-five ranked players for the Fighting Irish make sense for the most part, but there are slight surprises. Here is how PFF sees the Notre Dame defense through the first quarter of the 2025 season.

1. EDGE Boubacar Traore - 81

Traore has quietly been very good for Notre Dame, and the lone source for a consistent pass rush. The 6-4, 250-pound defensive end has managed to collect 16 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble in four games. The scary part for Traore is that he’s still getting back to full health from the ACL injury last fall. 

2. DT Elijah Hughes - 78.9

Perhaps the biggest surprise on this list is former USC transfer Elijah Hughes, and it isn’t particularly close. Nobody really knew what to expect from him going into the 2025 season, but the 6-3, 300-pound plugger has been really good the last two games. If he can turn that into consistency then the Irish defense may have gotten a massive steal via the Transfer Portal. 

3. CB Leonard Moore - 77 

Despite not playing the last two games due to an injured ankle, Moore continues to be the top player on the back end for Notre Dame. When the sophomore is healthy, there is no better cover man in college football. At 6-2 and 195 pounds, Moore possesses the length, long speed, and ball skills to eventually be a first round selection. Notre Dame is hoping to have him back in action this week. 

4. LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa - 76.5

I will continue to say this, and it probably won’t matter, but I have no clue why Viliamu-Asa isn’t playing more. He is putting out the best film of all the Notre Dame linebackers, and it isn’t overly close. The 6-3, 230-pound defender has the size, movement skills, and versatility to play all over a defense. He’s an impressive player who will produce at a higher rate when more opportunity comes his way. 

5. S Tae Johnson - 74.8

We have seen more and more of Johnson over the last couple of weeks, and No. 9 has continued to flash his big time potential. At 6-2 and 195 pounds, he is a sleek athlete with legitimate range on the back end. There’s a chance that Johnson could be the best Notre Dame safety by the end of the season, competing with Adon Shuler for the honor. 

Notre Dame defenders that missed the cut 

Here are the Notre Dame defenders that narrowly missed the list. This section is filled with a lot of talent and potential, but players who need to be more consistent. 

DT Gabriel Rubio - 74

Bryce Young - 73.6

Junior Tuihalamaka - 70.8

Jordan Botelho - 70.6

Adon Shuler - 67.7

One of the more interesting ratings was seeing starting linebacker Drayk Bowen with 59.4 overall grade. Bowen is tied for the team lead in tackles with 19 but hasn’t forced any negatives yet. He hasn’t been as good as a year ago, seemingly a tick slow processing and not as powerful, and will need to step his overall game up a notch.