Notre Dame Fighting Irish football enters the 2026 season as a legitimate national title contender, and the defense is a massive reason why. Head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad returns a loaded unit featuring star pass rusher Boubacar Traore, All-American cornerback Leonard Moore, and safeties Tae Johnson and Adon Shuler. After a rough start to the 2025 campaign, defensive coordinator Chris Ash oversaw tremendous growth over the final 10 games, and the expectation is that this group will be elite heading into the fall.

Still, several key position battles remain unresolved. The talent is there, but the answers are not. Here are three defensive competitions that will shape just how good this Notre Dame defense can be in 2026.

Interior defensive line

The Fighting Irish have assembled a deep and talented group of defensive tackles, and sorting out the rotation will be one of the biggest tasks of fall camp. Jason Onye, Pittsburgh transfer Francis Brewu, Oregon transfer Tionne Gray, Elijah Hughes, Armel Mukam, Cole Mullins, and potentially Christopher Burgess are all in the mix for snaps.

This group has the upside to be one of the better interior units in college football, but the floor still needs answering for. Onye and Brewu may emerge as the starters all year. There is also a reality where Gray breaks out, or Mukam finally takes that anticipated step forward. All of these players should see some semblance of playing time in a four- or five-deep rotation, but who ends up as the standouts for this group is a major question for Freeman’s squad.

Defensive end opposite Boubacar Traore

Traore is locked in as a starter, but the other defensive end spot presents an embarrassment of riches in terms of raw talent and genuine uncertainty about who takes the next step forward. Alabama transfer Keon Keeley will battle it out with Bryce Young, who is entering his junior year and potentially his second season as a starter.

Young’s talent at 6-7, 260 pounds is tantalizing, but he was solid rather than spectacular in year one as a starter. The talent is there for a massive breakout, though the same can be said for Keeley, who is now in his redshirt junior season. You also can’t forget about Rodney Dunham, one of the five-star recruits Notre Dame landed in the 2026 class. Dunham spent the spring opening eyes, and he argues to break into that rotation and play a significant number of snaps for the Irish this fall.

Field cornerback

This might be the most fascinating battle of the bunch. DJ McKinney enrolled this summer after starting multiple seasons with the Colorado Buffaloes. If not for an up-and-down season that included injury last year, there was a very good chance McKinney could have been a high-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, he decided to return for one more year and transfer to Notre Dame, where he will eye the starting spot opposite Moore.

Christian Gray transitioned inside to nickel this spring, but he did cross-train at outside corner and is a returning starter. If McKinney does not live up to expectations, Gray could get another shot to start outside. Younger cornerbacks like Mark Zachary and Dallas Golden also deserve attention. The expectation is that McKinney comes in and seizes that role, but talent still needs to actualize into on-field production. He will be worth keeping a close eye on heading into fall camp.

Notre Dame’s defense has the pieces to be one of the best in the country. How these three position battles shake out over the summer and into fall camp will determine whether the Irish have the depth and consistency to match their championship aspirations.