Notre Dame must sharpen its edge rush and postseason run defense to ascend and claim the national championship.
We talk a lot on the Irish Breakdown Podcast about Notre Dame working towards 'closing the gap' and with every passing recruiting class, that gap continues to grow thinner and thinner with some of the other premier programs currently in college football. As strong of results as the recruiting classes yield, the true measure of closing the gap is found on the field. Last season was the closest the Irish had come to officially closing that gap after beating Indiana in the first round of the playoffs, the SEC Champions in the Sugar Bowl and the Big Ten runners up in the Orange Bowl.
Unfortunately, they fell short in the National Championship game and were snubbed from the opportunity to make a return trip to Miami Gardens in 2025. There are still three key areas on defense that Notre Dame will have to continue closing the gap. These are areas of their game where teams who have taken home to coveted national title the last few seasons have shown. Let's take a look at the three key areas on defense where the Irish have to improve to close the gap and bring home its 12th National Championship.
Dominant Edge Rush
The evolution of Notre Dame's edge rush over the course of the season was truly special. I've said it at multiple points throughout the offseason already. The Fighting Irish defensive line is one of, if not the most, underrated unit in the country. Even members of their own fan base truly didn't understand how impactful this unit was this season. The edge players combined for 154 of the team's 285 total pressures and 45 of the team's 79 hits plus sacks on opposing quarterbacks. Now, as dominant as they were over the course of the season, their performance in bigger games needs to ramp up. That's why the Notre Dame edge rush made this list.
Against Miami, in week on, the defense as a whole combined for 11 pressures and four hits plus sacks on the quarterback according to PFF; the edge players accounted for seven pressures and three hits plus sacks. The following game against the Aggies, they only racked up two hits on the quarterback as a team, both by edge players, but they failed to finish and sack Marcel Reed despite their 23 total team pressures. Their performance against USC is a different story, but that will have to get carried over into the 2026 post season. The edge rush in the 2024 College Football Playoff Semi Finals and National Championship were borderline non-existent. That will have to change this upcoming season.
Post Season Run Defense
This is a tale of two different halves of the post season in 2024. Notre Dame's rush defense held Indiana to 63 total yards and their leading rusher, Justice Ellison, finished the night with 11 carries for 37 yards. In quarterfinals against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, the Irish defense held the Dogs to 62 total rushing yards on 29 carries. Their leading rusher, Trevor Etienne, finished the game with 38 yards on 11 carries. Notre Dame won by double digits in both of those games and both Indiana's and Georgia's offense struggled moving the ball and sustaining drives. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the Orange Bowl and the National Championship.
Penn State rushed for 204 yards with Nicholas Singleton leading the way with 84 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. In the national title game, Ohio State rushed for 214 yards as a team with Quinshon Judkins leading the way with 100 rushing yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Now, here's the good news, the arrival of defensive coordinator Chris Ash ignited the run defense, there's no denying that. Notre Dame finished this season ranked 10th in rushing yards allowed per game (99.3), 11th in yards per carry allowed (2.9) and 5th in the country in rushing touchdowns allowed (8). That level of dominance will have to be carried over into next post season, and for the duration of the post season if the Irish wish to make the transition from contenders to champions.
Limiting Explosive Pass Plays
This is a relatively new development with this defense. In 2024, Notre Dame allowed 38 pass plays of 20 yards or longer in a 16-game span. That's an average of 2.3 explosive pass plays allowed per game. They also finished 2024 ranked 4th in the country in passing yards allowed per game (169.4) and No. 1 in the country in completion percentage allowed (52.1). This season, they allowed 39 pass plays of 20 yards or longer in a 12-game span averaging 3.25 explosive pass plays per game. That ranked 72nd in the country.
I expect quarterback play, across college football, to take another step forward in 2026 with experienced and talented players like CJ Carr, Arch Manning and Julian Sayin returning to the collegiate gridiron. Notre Dame's pass defense will have to maintain their focus on taking away the football after finishing 4th in the country in interceptions, as well as limit the explosive plays they allow. The talent is there, no doubt about that. Now it's up to Ash and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens to limit the big passing plays allowed.
-------
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!