With a foundational leadership role, Adon Shuler guides Notre Dame's defense, fostering trust and elevating play with a potent secondary.
Even though head coach Marcus Freeman is headed into his fifth year at the helm, it's still possible to experience 'firsts.' This is the first time in his tenure he's had a returning starting quarterback. This is the first time in his tenure he's has all three coordinators on offense, defense and special teams return. This is also the first time he's had two returning captains, and both are on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Drayk Bowen and safety Adon Shuler both return for 2026 after being named captains last season.
Shuler was a leader on this team before the 'C' was placed on his jersey, but after last offseason, his teammates voted him to be one of their six team captains. A lot of lessons were learned last season for the New Jersey native, and he looks to apply them to this season where the Irish have a lot at stake heading into the fall.
"Being a captain, you have to lead when times get hard," Shuler shared. "Being a captain, everybody sees the 'C' on your chest, but they don't know the behind the scenes of it. That's something I learned last year being a young captain. It's just about developing. It's about always being the same guy no matter if we are 0-2 or 10-2. You've just got to be the same guy every day to continue to grow."
Shuler will be a key member in an absolutely loaded secondary. They return the No. 1 cornerback in the country in Leonard Moore, rising senior Christian Gray returns for his third year in the starting lineup and rising star safety Tae Johnson returns alongside Shuler to complete, what I believe, is the best safety duo in the country.
"When you play with guys that you trust, it helps you play faster," Shuler explained. "It helps the defense play faster when everybody on the team knows that everybody's going to be in the right spot. Tae Tae did that through camp and spring and fall. We knew once he got in there, he was going to make plays. That's what he's been doing. I took him under my wing. He did nothing but be a sponge to all of the details. He's his own player, but he's definitely learned a lot from me, Xavier Watts and the guys that came before him."
Thankfully, Shuler and Bowen aren't the only players being relied on to lead this offseason. For the first time since 2020, Notre Dame has a returning starting quarterback. Rising redshirt sophomore CJ Carr has a really promising first year under center. Now, he's taking on a much larger role within the locker room and the buy-in he has from is teammates is undeniable.
"He's the commander," Shuler shared. "I call him the commander. He's going to make sure the offense is right. If we're having a great day on defense, he's going to make sure he pushes the offense to give us the best look that they can. CJ's going to talk smack and that's what you need. You need your quarterback to be in it and feisty. That's what you love about CJ. There's not one day where CJ's not out there being a competitor. That forces me to be an even bigger competitor."
That competitive spirit, one of the core pillars found within 'The Gold Standard' has led to some offseason scuffles, which has really found the spotlight this offseason. If you've ever played a sport, you know that's a part of the game, especially when you're competing at the highest level.
"You have to be competitive," Shuler stated. "If it's not competitive, it's not going to be the team that we want to be. Coach Freeman calls us misfits and savages. I feel like that's how we have to play every day. Yes, we're going against our team, but once camp comes around, we’ll start to put it together. It's just a competitive team. Everybody wants to reach their full potential and reach their goals."
Notre Dame will have one of the best secondaries, once again, this fall but now it will be significantly more experienced. Moore and Gray have multiple years of starting experience, rising sophomores Mark Zackery and Dallas Golden now have starting experience and Johnson is going into year two as a starter. This very talented group will be held together by Shuler's leadership which has really taken off the last two years.
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