It was a disappointing start to the 2025 college football season, but head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame football program have been moving forward from their season-opening loss to the Miami Hurricanes. With them working through a bye week, all eyes are now on Texas A&M. Beating the Aggies two Saturdays from now is the only thing that matters at the moment.

The Notre Dame offense was an odd one to dissect during their matchup with the Hurricanes. Quarterback CJ Carr certainly had some good moments, as did some playmakers like junior wide receiver Jordan Faison. The offensive line and running back usage, however, did generate some pause for Fighting Irish fans as well. There are some things to build on, but a lot of question marks that remain. That is exactly what bye weeks are designed for.

With an SEC foe like the Aggies on the horizon, the Notre Dame offense is going to be challenged. That is especially true while being orchestrated by head coach Mike Elko, an outstanding offensive mind. Here is what Irish fans should expect from the A&M defensive unit.

Aggie defenders to know

The defender that the program is the most excited about is defensive end Cashius Howell, who was a bit underrated while playing with Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton last season. The former Bowling Green transfer has folks around College Station excited for what Howell can accomplish this season for the Aggies. The 6-2, 248-pound pass rusher is one player considered to be a dark horse to be the SEC Player of the Year.

A couple of other pass rushers to know are junior Rylan Kennedy and true freshman Marco Jones. Each of them are twitched up defensive ends with a ton of explosiveness. If they get Notre Dame to third and long situations, you should expect No. 15 and No. 10 on the field to get after the passer. That is where the Aggies want to be as a defensive unit, trying to force CJ Carr to beat them.

On the interior, Albert Regis is the player to know. While he isn’t a great athlete, he is a load to handle in the run game. The foursome of Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Guerby Lambert, and Sullivan Absher will have a lot to handle with Regis. He is a very dense defensive tackle, and extremely physical.

The leader of the defense, unquestionably, is linebacker Taurean York. While the junior defender isn’t the most toolsy linebacker of all time, York is extremely intelligent and plays with great effort. If Notre Dame is able to confuse York, or get him into a bit of a guessing game, they can have a lot of success. The same is true for York’s partner inside, senior Scooby Williams.

On the back end, the Aggies have one of the more underrated secondaries in all of college football. They are led by former Kansas State transfer Will Lee III, who was very good for the Aggies in 2024. Lee will be playing a ton against Malachi Fields into the boundary. As a longer and more physical cornerback, that will be must see TV for NFL evaluators. Lee is going to try and get into Fields face, and create some discomfort coming off the line of scrimmage.

Graduated senior Tyreek Chappell is back healthy for Texas A&M, and now playing more inside. Chappell isn’t overly athletic, but he is very experienced and intelligent. His matchup against Jaden Greathouse will be another battle to watch.

The most underrated member of the secondary is safety Dalton Brooks. The junior defender is an outstanding athlete who was disqualified from last year’s game after a targeting call. Brooks will come downhill with a vengeance, but he is also rangy working from depth. He has a chance to be a massive breakout this season.

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Ryan Roberts