Uncertainty looms for Notre Dame's defense. Will Ash's unit repeat its dominance, and who will anchor the battle-tested defensive line in 2026?
Any offseason carries some level of uncertainty. Who returns? Who stays? Who's expectations grow? All questions are on the table. Now that the offseason is officially here for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, it's time we sat down and looked at the main questions Marcus Freeman and defensive coordinator Chris Ash have in front of them as they gear up for the bulk of the season season. We broke down the top four questions on the defensive side of the ball as things stand today.
1. Will There Be Improvement In Year Two Under Ash? - The first three games last year, thankfully, became an anomaly to what was, otherwise, and extremely dominant defense. The Irish finished the season 13th in the country in scoring defense (17.6), 11th in the country in rush defense (99.3) and 56th in the country in pass defense (213.4). The defensive turnaround after the first three games was spectacular, but will it carry over into 2026?
Will Ash revert to the same philosophy he had in the first three games consisting of soft zone coverage? Or will the foundation of the defense remain aggressive and be built around the defensive line? Simply put, we don't know, but the sample size this team put out in their final nine games should sway the coordinators decision in a certain direction.
2. Will The Majority Of The Depth Chart Return? - We're in an unprecedented time in collegiate sports, and now that the House Settlement is finalized, athletic departments and programs across the country have salary cap guidelines they have to follow. What does this mean for the deep and talented depth for Notre Dame's defense. Reality is, you can't keep everyone and that's the sad truth in today's game, but what pieces come back?
Decisions will have to be made based on proven production, upside and total value. The flip side to that coin, is that this defensive staff and the general manager and his staff have to work together to continue to build a championship roster on defense. Bringing back the right people will dictate whether this unit is a Top 15 or Top 5 unit in the country.
3. Will The Defensive Line Continue Their Dominance? - I said it earlier this week, the Notre Dame defensive line is one of the most underrated units in the country. They finished the regular season with 206 or the defense's 285 total pressures and accounted for 52 of the team's 79 total hits plus sacks on the quarterback. You'll likely get key pieces back like Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, Josh Burnham and Donovan Hinish amongst others.
But you're slated to lose a lot of experience and production along the interior. Defensive tackles Gabriel Rubio and Jared Dawson have exhausted their eligibility and Jason Onye's potential final season rests in the hands of the NCAA to grant him a 6th season. Will it be able to maintain the level of dominance we saw in 2026 despite their losses?
4. Can Ash Identify And Fix Areas That Need Improvement? - This will be a collective effort, but the buck stops with the defensive coordinator, and ultimately their defensive head coach. Despite their spectacular turnaround, Ash has a lot of things to work on with this unit throughout the offseason. The finished the season ranked 56th in pass defense and 85th in the country in pass plays allowed of 20 yards or longer. They did a great job preventing teams from entering the red zone and finished 6th in the country in total red zone attempts allowed (25).
Unfortunately, teams scored 84 percent of the time when they got inside of the 20 and 14 of the 25 trips ended in opposing touchdowns. Will Ash be able to identify the issues and be willing to make the adjustments? If he is, along with the rest of the questions listed above get answered, there's no doubt in my mind this defense will be a Top 5 unit by the end of the 2026 season.
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