Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill dominates, while Kyle Hamilton earns Pro Bowl honors. Notre Dame's defensive stars shine bright in the NFL.
Now that the NFL regular season has come to an end, it's time to take a look back at the notable Notre Dame football alumni in the National Football League and see how they've done. In total, there are 54 former Fighting Irish players on NFL rosters, and they're split relatively evenly. There's 24 on the offensive side of the ball and 25 on the defensive side of the ball with five players on special teams. Let's take a look at the defensive side of the football. Similar to the offensive side, we aren't going to dive into all 25 players on defense and all five on special teams. But we wanted to highlight some of the premier performances from this season.
Let' s start up front with the defensive line. Former Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery played an integral role for the Kansas City Chiefs this season rotating with NFL star Chris Jones. Tillery played 374 total snaps and played in all 17 games for the Chiefs this season. He racked up 20 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.0 tackles for a loss. Tillery also finished the season with 12 total pressures. Switching gears over to the NFC, former Fighting Irish star Sheldon Day played 203 defensive snaps for the Washington Commanders. Day finished 2025 with 13 total tackles.
The second level of the defense, specifically the secondary, is where we've seen the most Notre Dame alum make an impact in the NFL. Linebacker Drue Tranquill started all 17 games this season for the Chiefs playing 884 total snaps and finished third overall on the team in tackles. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native racked up 103 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 10.0 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. Tranquill was one of the best defenders for the Chiefs week in and week out. The entire 2023 Notre Dame linebacking corps all contributed this season with JD Bertrand, Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser all stepping up for their organizations.
The string of defensive backs Notre Dame has put into the league is really starting to take shape and turn some heads. Cornerbacks Ben Morrison and Cam Hart both started this season for the Buccaneers and the Chargers respectively. Morrison stepped into the starting lineup due to injuries. In 10 games played, he finished with 26 total tackles, one fumble recovery and four passes defended. Hart played 640 snaps this season and recorded his first career interception against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 14.
Safety play from Irish alumni was exceptional this season. Raven's safety Kyle Hamilton was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster while fellow Raven's safety Alohi Gilman, who was traded to Baltimore prior to the deadline, made a huge impact once he started lining up alongside his fellow Notre Dame alum. Falcons rookie Xavier Watts finished his first year in the league tied for 2nd in the NFL in interceptions with five and started every game of the regular season alongside veteran Jessie Bates III. Vikings safety Harrison Smith, who might have played his final year, was still one of the best defenders for Minnesota and Seahawks safety Julian Love is gearing up for the playoffs in Seattle.
Oddly enough, the most notable special teams player in the league that graduated from Notre Dame didn't come through the football program. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey was one of the best kickers in the league, but he is a Notre Dame soccer alum. Former Fighting Irish field goal kicker Blake Grupe found a home back in Indiana with the Colts after an injury to Spencer Shrader who was off to a hot start in Indianapolis before an injury sidelined him for the duration of the season. Former Notre Dame long snapper Scott Daly started for the Bears this season and has a playoff matchup against the Packers in Soldier Field this Saturday night.
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