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Notre Dame Football will have a challenge from a talented Miami (OH) RedHawk defense on Saturday

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Sep 17, 2024 4:46 PM ET

Notre Dame football is set to welcome a MAC team to South Bend on Saturday, which is definitely going to leave some Irish fans very uneasy. The Miami (OH) RedHawks are led by former Irish offensive coordinator Chuck Martin, who makes his return to Notre Dame Stadium.

By far the best part of this Miami (OH) team is the defense. If this Irish team isn’t ready, this defense could help the team stick around. Here are the top RedHawk players to keep a close eye on.

EDGE Brian Ugwu

It has been a somewhat quiet start for Ugwu who has recorded seven total tackles and two tackles for loss so far this season. The former Rutgers transfer has been a productive player for the RedHawks over the course of his career, collecting 105 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks in the last two seasons. Ugwu is a lightly built standup rusher but plays with great effort. If anyone can get pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, there’s a good chance it’s Ugwu.

LB Ty Wise

Wise is a thickly built linebacker at 6-2 and 249 pounds. Despite that size, Wise actually moves surprisingly well. He can play in pursuit, and covers a nice amount of ground from the second level. Wise had his breakout season in 2023, where he finished with 122 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight sacks, an interception and five pass breakups. No. 10 is best when he’s attacking downhill.

LB Ty Wise (#10) is by far the best player on the Miami (OH) defense. Runs well on the second level for his size. pic.twitter.com/CKWUc4LaFZ
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) September 17, 2024

LB Matthew Salopek

While Wise is the playmaker on the second level, Salopek has been the steadying force for years. During the course of his Miami (OH) career, Salopek has recorded 413 total tackles, 24 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. At 6-1 and 230 pounds, he isn’t going to be confused for a special talent. Salopek is just an extremely dependable player, and very physically. If you play into his strengths, Salopek will make plays.

CB Raion Strader

The best player in the RedHawk secondary is Strader, by a pretty large margin. He was an outstanding player as a freshman last fall, leading to a place on the Freshman All-American team. Strader finished that season with 57 total tackles, one interception and 13 pass breakups. He has a good size profile but Strader is a really nice mover at the position. Strader is also competitive, and does a good job breaking up the catch point. There is an argument that Strader is the best overall player on the team, which is a compliment considering how young he is.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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