Two Notre Dame Defensive Position Groups Ranked In PFF's 2025 Top Five Units

Despite stacking two stellar seasons in 2023 and 2024, Notre Dame's defense has flown relatively under the radar ahead of the 2025 season. Big picture, it's understandable why some have overlooked this stacked unit. They lost their defensive coordinator in Al Golden and four of the five 2024 team captains who were on the defensive side of the ball have moved onto the NFL. 

With that being said, this defense returns a lot of talent, depth and experience this fall; PFF certainly believes this is a stout group having ranked two of the three units on defense in the top 5 in the country. 

Their defensive line is the only unit on this side of the ball that went unranked. After losing All-Americans Rylie Mills and Howard Cross, there is a gap in returning production in this group. Former Duke transfer and starter RJ Oben is also no longer a part of this unit. The defensive line last season was decimated by injuries, and they are getting a lot of those guys back this summer. 

Seniors Gabriel Rubio, Jason Onye and Junior Tuihalamaka look to hold down this unit while players like Bryce Young, Josh Burnham, Boubacar Traore, Loghan Thomas and Donovan Hinish add to the high ceiling in Al Washington's room. This group has the potential to be a top 10 unit by seasons end. 

Their linebacking corps is ranked as the No. 5 group in the country, and it has an argument to be higher. Despite losing captain Jack Kiser to the NFL draft, this group returns a lot of talent and production from 2024. Junior Drayk Bowen returns as their starting middle linebacker. Redshirt junior Jaylen Sneed, redshirt sophomore Jaiden Ausberry and sophomore Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa look to pick up where they left off last year. 

This group of backers finished the 2024 season with a combined 1,829 snaps played, 222 tackles, 19.0 tackles for a loss and 85 stops. Max Bullough's group will look to anchor the defense behind what is expected to be another top secondary in the nation. 

Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has a spoil of riches heading into the 2025 season. Sophomore Leonard Moore returns as a consensus top returning cornerback in the country. Junior Christian Gray is back after starting 15 games last season as well as redshirt sophomore safety Adon Shuler who started all 16 games in 2024. This trio combined for 142 tackles, 25 passes defended and eight interceptions last fall. 

Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith, who has yet to allow a touchdown in his career, will be starting at the nickel while 6-4 Luke Talich, 6-3 Tae Johnson, 6-5 JaDon Blair and 6-1 transfer Jalen Stroman battle it out for the other starting safety position. Regardless of who is in the starting lineup, Mickens will have a deep safety rotation this season. 

Last season, Notre Dame had the No. 4 scoring defense in the country, the No. 4 passing defense in the country and led the nation in turnovers (33). New defensive coordinator Chris Ash will be looking to pick up where Golden left off and retain Notre Dame's identity as an elite level defense. This group has the talent, experience, size and athleticism to be one of, if not the best, defense in the country this season.