SOUTH BEND —Brian Jean-Mary minces no words when it comes to what he wants to see out of his Notre Dame football linebackers.
That includes fourth-year man Jaiden Ausberry, who trailed only team captain Drayk Bowen with 437 total defensive snaps among Irish linebackers in 2025, but whose 17.2% missed-tackle rate led the group.
“He knows as much as we do the things that he has to get better at,” Jean-Mary said of Ausberry during the spring. “He’s got all the experience and is super, super talented. You know the athleticism is there. With him, it’s just taking his game to the next level as a blitzer and making more plays on the ball in coverage.”
With Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa held out during the spring as they recovered from hip and ACL surgeries, respectively, Ausberry and fifth-year man Jaylen Sneed enjoyed the lion’s share of snaps as they built a working relationship with the well-traveled Jean-Mary.
“He’s kind of taken the mantle as the vocal leader in the room playing predominantly at the middle linebacker spot, which is new for him,” Jean-Mary said of Ausberry. “But I think he’s embraced it and loved the challenge. He knows that’s just going to make him better once the fall comes around and we’re a little bit healthier.”
As of mid-July, the public expectation from coach Marcus Freeman regarding “KVA” was an ahead-of-schedule timeline for his return from last year’s Senior Day setback against Syracuse.
Madden Faraimo (wrist surgery) returned late in the spring and should serve again as the primary backup to Bowen, with Teddy Rezac and the Kia brothers, Kahanu and Ko’o, offering rotational depth and special teams value.
Midyear enrollees Thomas Davis Jr. and Ja’Kobe Clapper will have the luxury of learning while waiting, but special teams is always an option, especially with the end of redshirt calculations in the age-based eligibility era.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
Depth chart
34 | LB | Drayk Bowen | 6-2, 232 | 4Y
27 | LB | Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | 6-3, 230 | 3Y
3 | LB | Jaylen Sneed | 6-1, 227 | 5Y
4 | LB | Jaiden Ausberry | 6-1, 226 | 4Y
19 | LB | Madden Faraimo | 6-2, 235 | 2Y
43 | LB | Kahanu Kia | 6-2, 225 | 4Y
35 | LB | Teddy Rezac | 6-3, 226 | 3Y
16 | LB | Ko’o Kia | 6-2, 225 | 2Y
58 | LB | Thomas Davis Jr. | 6-2, 225 | 1Y
23 | LB | Ja’Kobe Clapper | 6-1, 230 | 1Y
Bold denotes projected starter
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football position preview: Irish stacked again at linebacker
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
