‘He is playing at that position as well as anyone I have seen’ – HC Marcus Freeman has high praise for a Notre Dame breakout
A potential Notre Dame breakout has been turning heads all offseason
In just five days, the Notre Dame football program is set to open up the 2025 college football season against the Miami Hurricanes. The Fighting Irish will be traveling down to Hard Rock Stadium for a top-1o clash on Sunday night that could have playoff implications down the road. It promises to be a tremendous opening battle, especially for a Notre Dame team coming off a National Championship Game appearance.
On Tuesday, head coach Marcus Freeman met with the media to discuss the upcoming matchup. The topics posed to Coach Freeman included the most recent depth chart for the team, some questions about individual players, the quarterback decision, and injuries to be aware of. One particular question surfaced about his confidence in the Irish defensive line
When Coach Freeman started to discuss the defensive tackles who are going to play a lot for the Fighting Irish defense in 2025, he had a ton of positive remarks. That included Donovan Hinish, who Freeman spoke glowingly about. He didn’t, however, speak quite as highly of Hinish as he did when discussing redshirt season Jason Onye.
He had a review of Onye, who is having an outstanding offseason.
“He is playing at that position as well as anyone I have seen since I have been here,” Coach Freeman said. “That is a big compliment for him, but that is a credit to the work he has put in.”
That is quite the compliment for Onye, who has had moments of outstanding flashes but has been limited by inconsistency and absence during his career. In total, Onye has collected 26 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and one pass breakup in three seasons of on-field experience. Before he missed the season half of the 2024 season, you could argue that the Connecticut native was the team’s most productive interior defensive lineman on a per-snap basis.
Onye is a name that we have consistently heard talked about this offseason since returning to the team. The 6-5, 302-pound defensive tackle is an outstanding combination of explosiveness, raw power, and length that can allow him to play all over the defensive line. If Onye is the best version of himself for a full season, he could be a game changer for the Fighting Irish. It appears that his physical talent is starting to actualize into on-field production.
The defensive tackle position is a pretty deep one. On top of Onye and Hinish, former Louisville transfer Jared Dawson and Gabriel Rubio will also play a ton. Heading into the offseason, most probably projected Onye to be a key reserve. Now it appears he is a starter, and a very important one.
That compliment to Coach Freeman is quite the statement when you really dissect it. The program has had Howard Cross III and Riley Mills each of the last two seasons, and each has earned All-American honors once. You can also throw Kurt Hinish into this conversation, who has carved out a role as a key rotational player for the Houston Texans. Let’s hope that Coach Freeman is right about Onye.
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