Notre Dame's talented secondary gets a boost as Ethan Long emerges, poised to seize a starting safety role and make a significant impact.
The Notre Dame secondary is poised for an elite season with players like Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Adon Shuler and Tae Johnson all returning to the starting lineup. That being said, there's some questions around the depth at certain positions. Not about the talent, just the level of experience and readiness on the back end of the defense. Rising redshirt freshman Ethan Long has the opportunity to solidify the four-man safety rotation and is set for a breakout season in 2026.
Long appeared in just two games this past season in a blowout win over Arkansas on the road and a resounding 63-point victory over Syracuse at home. We only saw 2025 recruit in two snaps against the Razorbacks but his performance against the Orange on Senior Day really turned some heads. Now, the east coast native has found his footing and is applying the lessons he learned last season to this offseason.
"I think I had great leaders like Adon, Tae-Tae, Jalen Stroman and DeVonta Smith," Long explained. "I had great leaders that took me under their wing. It helped seeing how they studied film and seeing how they took care of their bodies, just seeing that different kind of mindset. They were grown men. I was still trying to get used to things, and just seeing that kind of change was definitely good for me. It helped seeing how to carry myself during the season and how to carry myself off the field."
The 6-2, 204-pound safety was a former four-star recruit by Rivals and started to live up to that ranking as the 2025 offseason progressed. He's a very smooth athlete and was exceptionally productive in high school. Long attributes a lot of his work ethic to being from the east coast, which is a relatively slept on region nationally in the recruiting ranks.
"I just think the underdog feeling," Long explained. "I feel like we have a lot of guys in New England that feel like they have something to prove, because we're not really known for football. So, I think as guys start to get more exposure and start getting their name out there, I think it's really big especially with Notre Dame. They see the talent that's out there. So, I think that's something that we see here that they appreciate us and that we won't take it for granted because this is such a special place."
At the top, Notre Dame might have the best safety room in the country with both Johnson and Shuler coming back to the starting lineup. Senior Luke Talich also returns to the safety room after a very productive 2026 season. Long is one of the young players battling for a spot in the rotation alongside true freshman Joey O'Brien who has really turned some heads this spring. Both players will be needed over the course of the season; Long has a good opportunity in front of him the rest of the offseason.
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