Discover which Notre Dame defenders will surge to stardom, from key rotation pieces to potential All-Americans, as spring practice ignites 2026 breakout potential.
Notre Dame is a month away from kicking off spring practice, which will give us our first chance at seeing the 2026 team. One of the more interesting aspects of learning about each team is seeing who the breakout players are. That is the case for the Notre Dame defense, who will no doubt have a number of players raise their level of play to some degree.
There are plenty of breakout candidates for the Irish defense in 2026, and the spring will be our chance to see the start of those breakouts. Of course, breakouts can happen on different levels, and the Notre Dame defense has players at every level who are capable of some type of breakout season.
Here are the three levels that I view for breakouts:
Level 1 - Player who got little playing time that becomes at least a key rotation player
Level 2 - Player who goes from being a rotation player to an impact starter, or a player who starts and sees a significant jump in production
Level 3 - Player that becomes an All-American caliber contributor
Here is my early list of breakout predictions for the Irish defense:
LB MADDEN FARAIMO
LEVEL 1 BREAKOUT
Faraimo was one of the top pickups in the 2025 class and we got some glimpses of why that is during his freshman season. Despite those flashes, Faraimo earned just 144 snaps last season because of the incredible depth the Irish had at linebacker. A good chunk of his snaps came in backup snaps in the second half of games. Faraimo will benefit from a second season in the system, which will allow him to improve his game. An injury to Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa late in the 2025 season should also allow Faraimo to get all the second team Mike reps this spring.
The experience and extra reps should give Faraimo a golden opportunity to force himself into a key rotation spot into the Notre Dame defense in 2026. A breakout from Faraimo could allow the Irish to be patient with Viliamu-Asa's return, and when he does return he can continue playing at the Will position and also continue dominating in the third-down and sub packages. Faraimo also has some traits that could allow him to earn a spot as a pass rusher in sub packages.
Other Top Candidates: DT Christopher Burgess Jr., DT Armel Mukam, S Ethan Long, DE Loghan Thomas
DE BRYCE YOUNG
LEVEL 2 BREAKOUT
Young had an interesting 2025 season. He finished second on the team in total pressures (29) and hits+sacks on the quarterback (11) according to Pro Football Focus. He did this despite playing 156 fewer snaps than the team leader in those categories (Boubacar Traore). The issue for Young, however, was that he was still getting by on talent, which is why he didn't finish the way he should have. He had just two sacks on the season, and there were too many instances where he made assignment mistakes that proved costly to the defense.
It was a good growth year for Young, and the gained experience should be great for him in 2026. Young has loads of talent, with a unique combination of size, power and athleticism. His game was still raw in 2025, and now that he has two full seasons of growth I expect a breakout from him in 2026. Whether or not he has the ability to have a full level three breakout remains to be seen, but I absolutely expect him to make a jump similar to what Traore made in his junior season. We should start to see that this spring, with Young winning more and more battles on the edge, with Young being more effective against the run and with Young getting to the quarterback at a great level.
Other Top Candidates: DT Jason Onye, CB Dallas Golden, S Luke Talich
S TAE JOHNSON
LEVEL 3 BREAKOUT
Johnson had a level two breakout as a redshirt freshman, earning a starting role a couple of games into the season. Johnson played just 39 snaps as a true freshman in 2024, but by the second game of the 2025 season he was a key member in the safety rotation. By game three he was the starter opposite Adon Shuler. Johnson finished his redshirt freshman season 48 tackles, including a team-leading 35 solo tackles. He was also second on the defense with four interceptions despite missing the last two games of the season with a hand injury.
That right there is the key for Johnson, he has to stay healthy. If he can do that I expect him to combine with Shuler to form the nation's best safety tandem. Johnson has exceptional range and his athletic skillset is impressive. He was around the ball a lot last season, and with a year of growth I expect his game to make another jump. Johnson was a Freshman All-American in 2025, now he has a chance to develop into one of the best safeties in the country.
Other Top Candidates: DE Boubacar Traore, LB Drayk Bowen, S Adon Shuler
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!