With a seasoned captain's heart and a proven playmaking ability, Adon Shuler prepares to ascend from standout to certified star in Notre Dame's formidable 2026 secondary.
Notre Dame returns the best secondary in the country and is headlined by some big-time names in 2026. Unanimous All-American cornerback Leonard Moore comes back for his third, and likely final, season in South Bend. Redshirt sophomore safety Tae Johnson returns after a massive breakout season in 2025 and St. Louis native Christian Gray returns at cornerback. Along with these three standouts is a returning captain, safety Adon Shuler, who has the opportunity for a breakout year in 2026.
There's three different levels to a player breaking out. The first level of a breakout season is a player going from not playing a ton to being an integral part of the rotation. The second level of a breakout is a player going from a key rotation guy to a starter. The final level of a breakout is going from a starter to a certified dude on their respective side of the ball. Shuler has the opportunity to become a nationally recognized safety this fall.
The 6-0, 197-pound New Jersey native is one of the most experienced returning starters on defense having played 1,481 career snaps. He's been an integral starter on the Notre Dame defense the last two seasons and played a major role in their playoff run in 2024 and their 10-game win streak to end the regular season in 2025. Over the last two seasons, Shuler has been one of Notre Dame's most productive defenders on the field.
The Irvington native has totaled 112 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sack, three forced fumbles, five interceptions and 10 passes defended over the last two seasons combined. Despite his production, Shuler has been one of the more underrated stars on Notre Dame's defense after lining up alongside Johnson in 2025 who had a massive breakout and Xavier Watts in 2024 who was a Consensus All-American and was one of the nation's leaders in interceptions.
Shuler is a proven leader on and off the field and has the experience to back all of it up. He's been a big-play threat since entering the starting lineup. In 2024, he hauled in the first interception of the season on the road against Texas A&M, recorded a pick six against Georgia Tech and forced a huge fumble against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2025, he was a defensive captain and recorded several big plays including interceptions against NC State and Boston College on the road. Shuler also recorded a pick-two against Pitt where he took a two-point conversion back over 100 yards. As good as he's been the last two seasons, there's another level for Shuler and his breakout to national stardom would put this loaded secondary over the top.
BREAKOUT PREDICTION
Shuler is one of the two veteran leaders on the defensive side of the ball along with middle linebacker Drayk Bowen who is also a returning captain. Have they hit their peak, or is there another level they can get to? I think it's a yes for both. Shuler has the opportunity to take his game from really good to an elite level this upcoming season and be who Watts was for this defense in 2024. Even though he won the Bronko Nagurski Award in 2023, Watts was a better overall safety the follow season which led to Notre Dame having one of the best defenses in college football.
Is that what Shuler can be for this unit in 2026? He's made impactful plays throughout his career as a starter and as a leader. Now it's time to elevate his level of consistency and be that every single week of the regular season and every opportunity in the post season. The 6-0, 197-pound safety has had some consistency issues with tackling. His hitting power has never been in question, but over the last two seasons Shuler has led the team in missed tackles.
His performance dropping back into coverage has been a different story. Shuler has only allowed one passing touchdown in the last two seasons according to Pro Football Focus and it came this past season against USC. The New Jersey native hasn't missed a game since entering the starting lineup back on August 31, 2024; through 28 games, the Notre Dame captain has only allowed one receiving touchdown.
There won't be a better safety duo in 2026 than Shuler and Johnson, but the Irish will need Shuler at his best if the Irish want to compete for a national title. He's been one of Notre Dame's best defensive players over the last two seasons. But here's the scary thought, there's another level Shuler can get to.
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