Notre Dame spring football preview: Can defensive line reach full potential?

Asked about the challenges he’ll face on the defensive line, new Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Ash said he believes it can be outstanding.

There was, however, an important caveat.

“We gotta keep them healthy; get some guys healthy,” Ash said.

He’s right. Specifically, vypers Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore are still on the mend after suffering season-ending knee injuries in September. Both were playing tremendous football before the former ruptured his patellar tendon at Purdue, and the latter tore his ACL and LCL against Louisville.

Neither player will participate in spring practice. According to head athletic trainer Rob Hunt, both are progressing nicely and expected to fully participate in summer workouts. To get back to the national championship game, the Irish need to generate more pass rush and they probably won’t be able to do that if Botelho and Traore don’t play like they did before going down.

They are not, however, Notre Dame’s only hope for a superstar off the edge.

Sophomore defensive end Bryce Young — all 6-foot-7, 258 pounds of him — is looking to turn his raw talent into greater production and consistency. He’ll compete with senior Joshua Burnham, a stout run defender who can play both defensive end positions, to start at field end.

Burnham has played a lot of football and will be difficult to beat. But Young, if he hits his ceiling, is a budding potential first-round draft pick.

On the interior defensive line, the Irish are counting on a handful of veterans taking advantage of their first opportunity to start. Among them are returners Gabriel Rubio and Donovan Hinish, alongside Louisville graduate transfer Jared Dawson.

At least one or two of Notre Dame’s collection of young defensive tackles will have to step up as rotational pieces, too.

On every facet of Notre Dame’s defensive front, the operative word is “if.” The edge rushers can be great if they get healthy. Young can be a superstar if he puts it together. The interior can be solid if guys step up.

It’s time for the Irish to turn those “ifs” into reality.

Notre Dame Defensive Line Personnel Update

Position Coach: Al Washington (fourth season)
Returning Starters: Gr. DE Jordan Botelho^ (17 career starts) and Sr. DE Joshua Burnham# (11)
Departing Starters: DT Howard Cross III (34), DT Rylie Mills (36) and DE RJ Oben (47)
Projected New Starters: Gr. DT Jared Dawson (2) and Gr. DT Gabriel Rubio (3)
Top Reserves: So. DE Bryce Young#, Jr. DE Boubacar Traore^, Sr. DT Donovan Hinish, Sr. DE Junior Tuihalamaka, So. DE Loghan Thomas, Gr. DT Jason Onye, Jr. DT Armel Mukam, So. DT Sean Sevillano Jr., So. DT Cole Mullins+, Jr. DT Brenan Vernon and Jr. DT Devan Houstan
Newcomers: Dawson, Jr. DT Elijah Hughes (USC), Fr. DE Dominik Hulak*, Fr. DT Davion Dixon^, Fr. DT Joe Reiff*, Fr. DT Gordy Sulfsted* and Fr. DE Christopher Burgess Jr.*

* Enrolling in the summer
^ Out for spring ball (injured)
+ Limited during spring ball (injured)
# Limited during spring ball (rest)

All Eyes On … Sophomore Loghan Thomas

With Traore (knee) and Botelho (also knee) out for spring ball, the time is now for Thomas — a special teams stalwart with 194 third-phase snaps as a freshman — to make a move on defense. He has the length and athleticism to become a ferocious vyper, but he’ll need to add weight to his 6-foot-4, 224-pound frame.

Position Battle To Watch: Defensive tackle

Between the trio of Dawson, Rubio and Hinish, only two can start. Beyond them, though, depth spots are completely up for grabs. Can USC transfer Elijah Hughes grab a role? What about Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano Jr.? And with Jason Onye (personal) returning to the team, where does he fit in?

You can never have too many playable defensive tackles, but the Irish need to find out if they have enough.

Notre Dame Defensive Line Numbers To Know

14.5 Was Notre Dame’s stuff rate (the percentage of opponent run plays that go for zero or fewer yards) in 2024. This ranked 126th out of 134 FBS teams, per Sports Info Solutions. Holding firm at the line of scrimmage should be a point of emphasis for the defensive line.

26.2 Was Botelho’s pass-rush win rate in two-plus games (45 pass rush snaps) before he got hurt. Minimum 200 pass-rush snaps, that would rank second among all college edge rushers behind Michigan’s Josiah Stewart. It’s easy to forget because September 2024 might as well be September 1994, but Botelho was a terror off the edge before his season-ending knee injury.

56 Quarterback pressures the Irish must replace between Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III, and that’s with both missing three games and the latter limited by an ankle injury in the CFP. Marcus Freeman has said that those two were the backbone of Notre Dame’s pass-rush operation.

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