Notre Dame football enters the 2026 college football season with national title expectations, and the Fighting Irish defense might be the biggest reason why.

Head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Chris Ash, and the rest of the defensive coaching staff have built one of the most talented units in the country over the last couple of years. Notre Dame has fielded one of the absolute best defenses in all of college football, and that appears likely to continue next season.

There is a very real chance that when we look back on the 2026 season, the Irish may have had the best defense in the sport. The recipe is there, the talent is certainly in the wings, and it is not a hot take to say that achievement is attainable.

Here are three reasons why Notre Dame fans and national observers alike should be buying into the defensive hype heading into 2026.

The secondary is the best in college football

It all starts with the most well-known commodity on the Notre Dame roster, and that resides in the secondary. There can be deep conversations about where the Irish secondary ranks nationally. Some might argue that Oregon, Ohio State, or Alabama have a superior group, but for my money, the best secondary resides in South Bend, Indiana.

All-American cornerback Leonard Moore headlines the group. Moore is viewed as a potential top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. He is far from the only star, though. Star safeties Tae Johnson and Adon Shuler form what could be the best overall safety tandem in college football. Johnson is considered another potential first-round selection, while Shuler is the heart and soul of the Notre Dame defense on the back end.

That duo is so talented that players like Luke Talich have been relegated to an important role-player position at safety, whereas he would be a starting safety for a majority of top teams in the country.

Joining Moore at cornerback is Christian Gray, who shifts into the nickel, and former Colorado transfer DJ McKinney. If McKinney lives up to his hype and expectation, Notre Dame could boast one of the better cornerback duos in college football as well. That doesn’t even count young talents such as Mark Zachary, Dallas Golden, and Joey O’Brien.

This Notre Dame secondary is littered with talent and is the deepest group the Fighting Irish have ever had.

The pass rush is set to take a massive step

That secondary should help out a defensive line that brings back a ton of talent. The optimism I have centers on the improvement we should see from an all-around pass rush group next season. Boubacar Traore returns as Notre Dame’s best pass rusher, but there is hope that several secondary rushers break out this season. Last year, the two leading sack artists after Traore were Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Vilamu-Asa, both off-ball linebackers.

With a hopeful year-three jump for Bryce Young, the transfer acquisition of Keon Keeley, and true freshman five-star defensive end Rodney Dunham, there appear to be a whole lot more answers to the question of who is the second-best pass rusher after Traore.

I have optimism that the pass rush is going to take a massive step. If Notre Dame is able to get any interior pressure from players like Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray, the Irish have a chance to be one of the better pressure teams in 2026.

Star power across the roster

My last reason for this type of optimism is the star potential and upside across this defense. Moore is a star. Johnson is a star. You could argue that Shuler is a star. Both Bowen and Viliamu-Asa could have that ascension as well, especially Viliamu-Asa. There is a world where, if he is healthy all season, he could contend to be the best linebacker in all of college football.

Traore is considered an All-American by at least one major publication. Notre Dame doesn’t just have experience on this side of the football. The Fighting Irish have high-end talent, and that star power should go a long way toward cementing their place amongst the elite in college football next season.