With NFL Draft potential and a hunger for sacks, Boubacar Traore is re-shaping Notre Dame's defense under new coaching.
It's been 29 years since a defensive end from Notre Dame was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Former Fighting Irish standout Renaldo Wynn went No. 21 overall in the 1997 draft. Fast forward to 2026, when you look at their current roster, there's a couple of candidates who have the opportunity to break that streak. Rising redshirt junior Boubacar Traore has the ability to do that very soon and with the season he's expecting to have this fall, that streak may come to an end in 2027.
"Getting sacks, getting TFLs, coming off the ball and playing with violence," Traore answered when asked what it will look like when he's at his ultimate best. "Just really trying to help my team reach team glory and get a victory every Saturday. That’s really my main goal. As long as we’re doing that and everybody’s working together as a team, I feel like everybody’s just going to play their best and do what they have to do."
Heading into this offseason, Notre Dame was tasked with replacing all three of their position coaches on defense with defensive back's coach Mike Mickens headed to the Baltimore Ravens, linebackers coach Max Bullough headed back to his alma mater Michigan State and defensive line coach Al Washington heading to the Miami Dolphins. New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge stepped in and the defensive line continued to flourish under new leadership.
"We're all getting a feel for the new coaches and being able to learn from them," Traore shared. "All the new coaches are really good coaches. Coach Partridge is coming from the NFL, Coach [Aaron] Henry is coming from Illinois and Coach [Brian] Jean-Mary is coming from Michigan. And then just being able to learn from all the new coaches has really been helpful.
"Coach Partridge always reminds us if a drill doesn’t translate to the field, let him know because he won't have us do the drill," Traore continued. "He always wants us doing something that’s going to translate to the field. That’s definitely something that I’ve picked up on with him. We've all been able to learn from him and the players he coached and how the players he coached usually take information, how they play and the moves that they use that I could add to my arsenal. That's something that’s been really great."
Day in and day out in practice the offensive and defensive line are competing at the highest level. Rising redshirt freshman Will Black has stepped in at left tackle; Traore and him compete almost on a daily basis. The work those two players are putting in now will pay major dividends come the fall.
"Will is a big guy," Traore explained. "He’s like 6-7, 316-pounds. He has a really good anchor; he’s big. He also has really good feet. Whenever I'm going up against him, he always gives me a big challenge. It’s always good to go up against both Black and Guerby Lambert because they’re really young. Going through those battles now, by the time the season comes they’re going to be able to block anybody in the country."
Last season, Notre Dame's defensive line was one of the most underrated units in the country. This year, based on how they're looking, I don't think they're going to fly under the radar of any reputable college football analyst. This is a group that's loaded with talent, experience, size, length and speed. They're going to play a key role in Notre Dame's success this fall and Traore will be leading the charge.
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