Notre Dame lands Pittsburgh's Francis Brewu. Discover how his brute strength and explosive power redefine the defensive tackle position.
Notre Dame went into the portal cycle needing to make a splash at defensive tackle, and the Irish staff did that by landing former Pittsburgh big man Francis Brewu. It was a battle to make this happen, but landing Brewu is the kind of impact pickup that Notre Dame needed inside.
Let's look at the scouting report for Brewu.
School: Pittsburgh
Height/Weight: 6-1, 280
Class/Eligibility: Junior/Junior
2025 Stats: 36 tackles, 7.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble, 20 pressures
Analysis: Brewu is an undersized interior player that is listed at just 6-1 and 280 pounds, but if there's a team in college football that knows how to thrive with undersized DT it is Notre Dame. We've seen players like Howard Cross, Jared Dawson, Donovan Hinish and Jayson Ademilola are all sub-290 pound interior players that have thrived since Marcus Freeman arrived. Brewu has an impressive game that actually allows him to play much bigger and with a different style than you'd expect from someone his size.
The biggest key here for Brewu is his brute strength and ability to play with power. Bruce Feldman ranked him as the No. 24 player on his 2025 Freaks List because of his combination of athleticism and power. Feldman reported that Brewu bench presses and astounding 475 pounds and squads 685 pounds to go with a 33-inch vertical jump. You see that power in how Brewu plays, and it's why he's such an impactful run defender. He's quite stout at the point of attack and shows the ability to anchor like a much bigger player. Brewu has quality length, which combines with his top notch power and strong hands to allow him to get off blocks and make plays on the football.
Brewu shows impressive explosiveness off the ball. He flies into gaps when asked to penetrate and that quickness allows him to constantly beat opponents off the ball. The Ohio native was a solid pass rusher in 2025, but his combination of explosiveness and power should allow him to become a more impactful pass rusher with continued technical enhancement.
One area where I'd like to see Brewu improve is by moving his feet better. He has a tendency to stop his feet when he engages, and while his power allows him to not get moved, it does make him less effective getting off blocks and making more plays on the ball. If he can do a better job of driving his hips/feet through contact, I could see him becoming a much more productive player on the ball.
Brewu was just a sophomore in 2025, but he managed to play 484 snaps. Consider that Jason Onye led Notre Dame's defensive tackles in snaps at 354. Brewu likely won't be asked to play as many snaps as he did at Pitt, which should allow him to be more fresh late in games, allow him to make more plays on the football and allow him to be positioned to handle a longer season (playoff run).
Notre Dame Fit: Brewu played mostly three-technique for Pittsburgh and I could certainly see him handling that role in the Irish defense. He has playmaker potential and has better length than you'd expect from a 6-1 athlete. But I could also see Brewu playing at the nose in a way that is similar to how Cross and Hinish were able to thrive there. That versatility is important, as it will allow Charlie Partridge to use Brewu in a variety of combinations. It also makes it harder for opponents to know where he will be lining up from snap to snap. Notre Dame also wants to be a dominant run defense under Chris Ash, something that wasn't a top priority for former coordinator Al Golden. With Brewu's prowess as a run defender he should help the run defense continue being among the best in the country.
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