Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are expected to field one of the best defenses in the country.

Head coach Marcus Freeman and second-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash have assembled a defensive line room that might be the deepest South Bend has seen in years. That depth is a testament to Freeman’s recruiting prowess and his ability to retain top talent over multiple cycles.

New defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, widely regarded as one of the better developers of talent at the college level, inherits a group that is top-heavy and loaded with options. On paper, the room looks elite. But like everything, some questions need to be answered before the Fighting Irish open the season against the Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field.

Notre Dame opens fall camp on Thursday, and over the next several weeks, we will start to get hints about just how good this defensive line can be and whether there is anything to worry about in the short or long term. Here are the three questions this group needs to answer.

Where does the pass rush come from outside of Boubacar Traore?

Defensive end Boubacar Traore returns after posting 6.5 sacks a year ago. Most expect Traore to take another step forward in 2026, but even if he is just as good as he was last season, Notre Dame has one of the better pass rushers in college football.

The real question is who lines up across from him and provides a complementary threat. Last season, the Irish were forced to lean on linebackers Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa to fill pass rush needs because no defensive end opposite Traore became a consistent threat off the edge.

Can Bryce Young, Rodney Dunham, or Keon Keeley show they are ready to become that player? Or does Notre Dame have an interior defensive lineman or two who can create pressure from the middle?

The secondary pass rush plan remains the biggest question mark for this group.

What will the defensive tackle hierarchy look like?

The interior of the defensive line is loaded with talent but short on clarity. Notre Dame added transfer Francis Brewu from Pittsburgh and Tionne Gray from Oregon this offseason. The Irish also return Jason Onye, Armel Mukam, and Elijah Hughes. Several different pairings could emerge from this room.

Who are the starters? Who are the key depth pieces? What does the snap share look like for each player? Those decisions will be sorted out over the next several weeks, and the answers will go a long way toward determining how dominant this defensive front can be on a play-to-play basis.

How big of an impact will 5-star freshman Rodney Dunham make?

Dunham has made a huge impression this offseason, particularly during spring practice. The buzz around the five-star freshman has been significant enough that everyone anticipates he will be one of the main backups at defensive end and will see substantial playing time in 2026.

The question is whether Dunham can be the second-best pass rusher on this team right away. Is he more of a good rotational player in year one with a potential breakout coming in 2027? Just how good Dunham can be could significantly raise the ceiling for this defensive end room. If he proves ready to contribute as a legitimate pass rush threat alongside Traore, this defensive line goes from very good to potentially dominant.

The answers to these questions will start to take shape once fall camp opens on Monday. Notre Dame has the talent to field an elite defensive front. The next several weeks will reveal whether the pieces fit together the way Freeman and Partridge envision.