Notre Dame 2025 Defense: Positional Outlook & Key Players

Defensive Line Strength Shifts From Interior to Edge

There’s no doubt that Notre Dame will miss Cross and Mills in 2025. No matter how deep your team is, replacing the production and leadership those two provided over several seasons is a tough task.

On the other hand, the only edge defender departing from the 2024 roster is RJ Oben. Notre Dame was thin on the edge this year, largely due to inexperience and injuries, but the team returns a star-studded group that is expected to make a major leap in 2025.

Returning from season-ending injuries are Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore—two players who were major contributors before going down. Joshua Burnham is a stabilizing force with the flexibility to play either strong-side or vyper.

Bryce Young is arguably the best athlete on the team and should improve tremendously in his second year. Loghan Thomas saw limited action as a true freshman but possesses the speed and bend that not many at Notre Dame currently have. Junior Tuihalamaka was a pleasant surprise and played many productive snaps for the defense this season.

All of these players return, along with newcomers Christopher Burgess and Dominik Hulak from the high school ranks, and Cole Mullins, who missed his freshman season due to injury.

On the interior, Gabriel Rubio and Donovan Hinish return after receiving extended playing time as the 2024 season progressed. The team also welcomes two transfers: Jared Dawson from Louisville and Elijah Hughes from USC. Dawson, the more productive of the two, should step into a starting role, but Hughes has multiple years of eligibility remaining and has significant upside.

Depth is the main concern here. Jason Onye left the team halfway through the season, and it’s to be determined if he will return in 2025. Sean Sevillano and Armel Mukam played minimal snaps this past season but should be expected to step up.

Can former four-star recruits Brenan Vernon and Devan Houston provide quality depth? That remains to be seen, while incoming freshmen Joseph Reiff, Gordy Sulfsted, and Davion Dixon likely need a redshirt season before becoming contributors.

Notre Dame's Linebacker Unit Will Continue It's Upward Trend

This is an exciting position group with big-time athleticism, positional versatility, and impressive depth. While the leader of the room, Jack Kiser, departs after an outstanding six years in South Bend, the group should only continue to elevate under Max Bullough's guidance.

What stands out most about this group is the amount of game reps many of them have had in recent seasons, especially in 2024. Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, Jaylen Sneed, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa all return as de facto starters, even though they’ve rarely shared the field all at the same time.

If you're a talented linebacker, the depth chart shouldn't scare you—Notre Dame has proven they will find a way to utilize your skillset.

Rising sophomores Teddy Rezac and Bodie Kahoun will look to crack the two-deep in their second year but will face stiff competition with Preston Zinter entering year three and a talented group of freshmen aiming to impress.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Madden Faraimo earns a spot in the mix, given his talent. Ko'o Kia and Anthony Sacca are also skilled players who could make an impact.

It’s hard to overstate how well this group is set up for the future.

Irish Secondary Remains Elite

It’s not often that you lose an All-American corner halfway through the season and barely miss a beat. That’s exactly what happened for Notre Dame this past year, and the Irish return both of their starting corners, Leonard Moore and Christian Gray, for the 2025 season—arguably the best cornerback duo in the country.

Ben Morrison is off to the NFL, but the Irish are still well-equipped at the position. Karson Hobbs enters his sophomore season as a key depth piece, and Mike Mickens continues to attract elite nickel corners from the portal with the addition of Devonta Smith from Alabama to replace the outgoing Jordan Clark.

Depth is a slight concern on the outside, but as mentioned, Hobbs is a solid option, and Notre Dame is very excited about their trio of incoming freshmen: Dallas Golden, Mark Zackery IV, and Cree Thomas.

At safety, replacing Xavier Watts with just one player isn’t realistic—it will take a committee. However, having Adon Shuler back as a starter helps ease the transition. Notre Dame is also adding an experienced player in Jalen Stroman from Virginia Tech, who likely has the edge to replace Watts.

With that said, Luke Talich, Kennedy Urlacher, Brauntae Johnson, and others will certainly be difficult to keep off the field. The Irish also welcome a talented group of freshmen in Jadon Blair, Ethan Long, and Brandon Logan.

Much like Madden Faraimo at linebacker, I expect Dallas Golden at corner and Jadon Blair at safety to crack the two-deep as true freshmen and make significant contributions in year one.