Burnham leaves Notre Dame for his final season, bringing impactful defensive play and a history of game-changing performances to Indiana's powerhouse program.
This evening, it was announced that former Notre Dame defensive end Josh Burnham will play his final year of eligibility in 2026 with the Indiana Hoosiers. Burnham announced he would be entering the transfer portal last week after playing really good football for the Irish in 2025. Unfortunately, his lack of snaps earlier in the season ultimately led to his decision to enter the transfer portal once it opened on January 2.
The 6-4, 253-pound defensive end played a key role in Notre Dame's defensive end rotation over the last couple of seasons. Burnham played a vital part in their post season success in 2024 including a clutch goal line stop in the Orange Bowl to force Penn State to a field goal. Expectations were high for Burnham entering 2025, but a lack of snaps and production in the early part of the season left many, myself included, what his future looked like in South Bend.
He finished his career with Notre Dame with 65 total tackles, two passes defended, 6.0 sacks and 17.0 tackles for a loss. He really came onto the scene this season for the Irish during their matchup with Boston College. Burnham finished the matchup with three tackles for a loss and a sack and played a major role in the Fighting Irish defense shutting down the Eagle's offense.
The Michigan native followed up his performance against Boston College with a two-sack game against Pitt on their way to a 37-15 win over a ranked Panthers team on the road. In the month of November, Burnham finished the season with 16 pressures, 5.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks according to Pro Football Focus. Despite playing limited snaps this season, Burnham finished the regular season third on the entire defense in tackles for a loss and tied for third in sacks even though he finished the year playing the 21st most snaps on defense.
Burnham will play his last season of eligibility in Bloomington for the Hoosiers who have put together a magical two season run. They've only lost two games since the start of 2024 and both losses came last year. They're currently 14-0 and gearing up to play Oregon in the College Football Playoff Semi-Finals with a team built mainly through the transfer portal. Burnham is a strong addition to the Indiana defense and will likely walk in the door as a day-one starter.
The Hoosiers have been cleaning up since the portal window opened on January 2nd. They've received commitments from Nick Marsh, a top portal receiver from Michigan State, Josh Hoover, a top portal quarterback from TCU, Turbo Richard, a top running back prospect in the portal from Boston College and a handful of other defensive players including Burnham. As tough as it will be to watch Burnham have a successful final year in college with a different program, we wish him nothing but the best.
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