Future stars are primed for defensive impact. Discover which fresh faces are poised to dominate on the gridiron this fall.
The goal of any program is to continually stack recruiting classes and supplement calculated attrition with top-level talent. Notre Dame is one of the top five programs in the country that have done that under head coach Marcus Freeman and this year, with the exception of a few, all players on the 2026 roster have been recruited, signed and developed under Freeman and his coaching staffs.
The 2026 recruiting class is loaded with future stars on the defensive side of the ball, but the outlook of their potential playing time this season changed drastically with Notre Dame's portal additions. Still, the talent within this class may take the day, and there's several players that could make a push to get some meaningful minutes this fall.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Let's start in the trenches. This is probably the best four-man recruiting class that Notre Dame has brought in along the defensive line in quite some time. Both edge players in Rodney Dunham and Ebenezer Ewetade have the opportunity to play this season with departures from Josh Burnham, Junior Tuihalamaka, Jordan Botelho and Preston Zinter. With that being said, there's still a lot of talent in front of them, but Ewetade and Dunham are both extremely talented players in their own right.
Safety Joey O'Brien could also make a push for a spot in the safety rotation this season. The 6-5, 188-pound Pennsylvania native was one of the most talented and versatile commits in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Don't count him out of making a push as a true freshman. The same could be said for cornerback Khary Adams who considered a Top 4 cornerback in the country amongst all major recruiting services in the 2026 class.
STARTING CALIBER
The other two defensive lineman in this class, Tiki Hola and Elijah Golden, are definitely starting caliber players, they just have to have a strong offseason of development. Hola is the youngest player in the class and is still only 16 years old. He has a big frame and will be a monster when he's adjusted to the college game. Golden has one of the highest ceilings in the class and was extremely productive in high school, he's just extremely raw technically. New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge won't have a talent shortage in this class, that is certain.
Linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. likely won't crack the rotation but this year, but has captain-like qualities about him that you can't discredit. Notre Dame returns their entire five-man rotation from the 2025 season at linebacker, but Davis Jr. will make a push to make sure nobody ahead of him gets too comfortable.
It's not a surprise that departed defensive backs coach Mike Mickens brought in another extremely talented bunch. O'Brien and Adams are joined by Ayden Pouncey, a 6-3, 172-pound cornerback who is an exceptional athlete and if he needed to, could play receiver. Pouncey could find his way into the two-deep this season and push some of the players in the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes.
DEPTH PLAYERS
Three other defensive players add quality depth and have the potential to make a strong impact on special teams, like the other defensive recruits do. Linebacker Jakobe Clapper was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and has all the physical tools in the world. He was used more like Jaylen Sneed at the high school level and will need development as an 'on-ball' linebacker.
Defensive backs Chaston 'Chaz' Smith and Nick Reddish will also being key depth pieces on the back end. In years past, they come in and push for a spot in the two-deep, or even the starting lineup. But the outlook on Notre Dame's secondary is different than it was six years ago, heck even three to four years ago.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS
I'll echo what I said on the offensive side of the ball. Find your footing. Every player on defense in the 2026 class was an early enrollee and they'll be drinking from a fire hose in their first go around with spring practice and offseason training. Take this time to focus and develop individually and the opportunities will come. Are there players who could make a push to be in the two-deep? Of course, but that shouldn't be their expectation. This class is loaded with talent, and one of the best all-around defensive classes I've seen come through at Notre Dame.
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