SOUTH BEND —Replacing the production and leadership of Howard Cross III and team captain Rylie Mills won’t be easy for Notre Dame football and its vaunted defensive line.
The good news, however, is that defensive run-game coordinator Al Washington once again has a deep and talented group that will come at opponents in waves.
Transfers Jared Dawson (Louisville) and Elijah Hughes (USC) were brought in to fortify the interior, where they will join holdovers such as Gabriel Rubio, Donovan Hinish, Jason Onye, Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano Jr.
Improvement against the run is a must for an Irish defense that tied for 37th nationally in yards allowed per carry. Notre Dame finished 24th in that category the prior year after ranking 52nd in 2022, Washington’s first year on the staff.
The Vyper position is no more under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash, a switch that should allow Irish defensive ends to become more interchangeable and thus harder to nullify.
While sixth-year end Jordan Botelho might not return until early October after undergoing offseason pectoral surgery, the Irish pass rush should add a healthy Boubacar Traore to a group that includes Josh Burnham, Junior Tuihalamaka, Loghan Thomas and sophomore wunderkind Bryce Young.
“The sky’s the limit for the kid,” Ash said of the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bryant Young. “I don’t think he has any idea how good he can be. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s athletic. He’s got a lot of talent.”
Chicago Simeon High School product Christopher Burgess Jr. was the highest-rated signee on defense in Notre Dame’s 12th-ranked 2025 recruiting haul. Joining Burgess in the next wave of future Irish D-line standouts are Dominik Hulak, Davion Dixon, Joe Reiff and Gordy Sulfsted.
“The whole front, we’re not where we need to be yet,” Ash said in the spring, “but man, we have some pieces I think we can work with that we can build this defense around.”
DEPTH CHART
97 | DT | Gabriel Rubio | 6-5, 322 | R-Sr. (1L)-&
40 | DE | Josh Burnham | 6-4, 253 | R-Jr. (1L)
95 | DL | Bryce Young | 6-7, 273 | So. (3L)
5 | DE | Boubacar Traore | 6-4, 247 | R-So. (3L)
12 | DE | Jordan Botelho | 6-3, 260 | Grad Sr. (1L)
41 | DT | Donovan Hinish | 6-2, 277 | R-Jr. (2L)
10 | DE | Loghan Thomas | 6-4, 218 | So. (3L)
44 | DE | Junior Tuihalamaka | 6-4, 260 | Sr. (1L)
47| DT | Jason Onye | 6-5, 302 | R-Sr. (1L)
59 | DT | Sean Sevillano Jr. | 6-4, 343 | R-Fr. (4L)
93 | DT | Jared Dawson | 6-1, 288 | Tr.-Sr. (1L)
88 | DT | Armel Mukam | 6-3, 304 | R-So. (3L)
56 | DT | Elijah Hughes | 6-3, 297 | Tr-.Jr. (2L)
42 | DL | Cole Mullins | 6-5, 273 | R.-Fr. (4L)
33 | DL | Christopher Burgess Jr. | 6-4, 270 | Fr. (4L)
17 | DT | Brenan Vernon | 6-6, 293 | R-So. (3L)
30 | DE | Dominik Hulak | 6-4, 241 | Fr. (4L)
60 | DT | Davion Dixon | 6-3, 322 | Fr. (4L)
91 | DL | Gordy Sulfsted | 6-5, 260 | Fr. (4L)
94 | DL | Joe Reiff | 6-5, 254 | Fr. (4L)
&: Denotes remaining eligibility years
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football position preview: Changing of the guard on defensive line
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
