Chris Ash's defense transformed, shutting down the run. Discover how this unit is climbing ranks toward championship contention.
The goal of any college football team is to be the last one standing at the end of the season, hoisting up the National Championship trophy. For Notre Dame, they've gone without a title since 1988, but have had some close encounters. Head coach Marcus Freeman is heading into his 5th year at the helm and is looking to bring home the 12th national title to South Bend.
In order to do that, there are some key areas of focus this program will have to hone in on during the 2026 season. Some areas are closer than others; certain areas of focus are up to par based on the 2025 season while others need significant improvement if the Irish wish to close the gap. A stout run defense is key to winning a championship and defensive coordinator Chris Ash brought that with him to Notre Dame.
The Irish had a dominant defense overall in 2024, making the departure of former defensive coordinator Al Golden a tough pill to swallow for many. Ash's hire, at the time, was considered lack-luster and he didn't get off to the best start. The defensive turnaround from the second quarter of the regular season to the finale regular season game against Stanford was truly outstanding.
One thing that remained consistent throughout the regular season, however, was their dominant rush defense. In 2024, Notre Dame finished ranked 49th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (138.06) and 37th in the country in yards allowed per rush (3.78). A decent performance, but no where close to what it needs to be to win a championship.
This past season, the Irish finished with the 11th best rush defense in the country allowing 100.08 yards per game. They also finished ranked 11th in the country in yards per rush allowed (2.99) and 5th in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed (8). The common trend we've seen from previous National Championship winners was their consistent and dominant rush defense.
In 2024, Ohio State allowed 87.6 rush yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry. In 2023, Michigan allowed 90.0 rushing yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry. The Georgia Bulldogs in back to back seasons allowed 77.0 rushing yards per game and 78.9 rushing yards per game between their back to back national titles in 2022 and 2021. In 2018, Clemson allowed 96.3 rushing yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry while the Crimson Tide in 2017 allowed 94.7 rushing yards per game and 2.7 yards per carry.
See the trend? Now, there are some outliers like 2019 LSU who allowed 120.8 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry. Alabama in 2020 allowed 113.1 rushing yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry. In 2016, Clemson allowed 129.6 rushing yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry.
Here's the difference: those team's had generational offenses and featured players like Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith. Multiple Heisman winners and Heisman finalists played on those offenses.
By and large, the winners of the national title are stout against the run. Obviously, there are other factors than just stopping the run. The ability to hit big plays, winning situational football and winning the turnover battle are also key indicators. For Notre Dame, their rush defense has room to improve, and it was significantly better in 2025 than it was in 2024.
Their portal additions bringing in players like Francis Brewu, Tionne Gray and Keon Keely combined with their returning roster featuring players like Bryce Young, Boubacar Traore, Armel Mukam, Cole Mullins and Christopher Burgess lead us to believe the Notre Dame rush defense is looking to elevate from where they were in 2025.
Ash brought some changes to South Bend, some good and some that need to be left in 2025. One thing he did do, however, was elevate the run defense in comparison to the previous defensive regime. Notre Dame is in prime position to reclaim a title in 2026, and the run defense will play a major factor in their post-season success.
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