Notre Dame football is set to begin spring practice on Friday, and there is a lot of optimism for what head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish can accomplish heading into the 2026 college football season. The fanbase is going to get a nice taste of the talent over the next few weeks, which will have to hold them off until August. 

The defense ended the season on a very strong note a year ago, and it’s expected for Chris Ash’s group to be elite in 2026. To give an early spring preview, I put together a projected depth chart. Players who won’t be participating were left off, but it’s still an extremely impressive group. 

Defensive line 

Heading into the spring, the defensive end positions feel pretty solidified. Barring injury, we are going to see a lot of Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, and Keon Keely in 2026. If Loghan Thomas is able to hold enough weight, he should also have the insight track to play a rotational role in the fall. Keep a close eye on the two true freshmen to fight for playing time, especially Rodney Dunham. 

The defensive tackle position has been completely overhauled, but we will see the trio of Jason Onye, Armel Mukam, and Elijah Hughes play in varying roles. Francis Brewu (Pitt) and Tionne Gray (Oregon) are going to play a lot, as well. While Gray is a little more developmental, I expect Brewu to become a notable performer immediately. He has a chance to be a very good starter. 

1. DE – Boubacar Traore (RS Jr.)

2. DE – Loghan Thomas (Jr.)

3. DE – Ebenezer Ewetade (Fr.) 

1. DT – Jason Onye (RS Sr.) 

2. DT – Armel Mukam (RS Jr.) 

3. DT – Cole Mullins (RS So.)

1. NT – Francis Brewu (Jr.)

2. NT – Tionne Gray (RS So.)

3. NT – Elijah Hughes (Sr.)

1. DE – Bryce Young (Jr.)

2. DE – Keon Keeley (RS Jr.)

3. DE – Rodney Dunham (Fr.) 

Linebackers 

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is injured right now, so I didn’t include him for this exercise. When KVA does get back healthy, he has the chance to become one of the very best linebackers in all of college football. For now, I could see Madden Faraimo getting a ton of reps, while Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed battle it out to be the starting WILL, for now.  

1. MIKE – Drayk Bowen (Sr.)

2. MIKE – Madden Faraimo (So.)

3. MIKE – Kahanu Kia (RS Jr.) 

1. WILL – Jaiden Ausberry (RS Jr.)

2. WILL – Jaylen Sneed (RS Sr.)

3. WILL – Teddy Rezac (RS So.)

Secondary 

DJ McKinney won’t be here until the summer, so he was excluded from the depth chart for now. When he’s here and healthy, I expect him to be the starting field cornerback. There is an expectation that Christian Gray will get a long look at nickel, so there will be some cross-training this spring. The same will be true with Dallas Golden.

The one thing I’m curious about is where Notre Dame sees Michigan transfer Jayden Sanders fitting. For now, I’m leaving him as the main competitor to be the top backup to Leonard Moore. There’s a world where he eventually ends up inside at the nickel, as well. It’ll probably depend on how much some of the younger cornerbacks are ready to play.

1. BC – Leonard Moore (Jr.)

2. BC – Jayden Sanders (So.) 

3. BC – Dallas Golden (So.)

1. FC – Christian Gray (Sr.)

2. FC – Mark Zackery IV (So.)

3. FC – Ayden Pouncey (Fr.) 

1. BS – Adon Shuler (RS Jr.)

2. BS – Luke Talich (Sr.)

1. FS – Tae Johnson (RS So.)

2. FS – Ethan Long (RS Fr.) 

3. FS – Joey O’Brien (Fr.) 

1. Nickel – Christian Gray (Sr.)

2. Nickel – Dallas Golden (So.)

3. Nickel – Nick Reddish (Fr.)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish News

Predicting the Notre Dame offensive depth chart entering spring practice – An offensive line reshuffle highlights the group 

Early look at the Notre Dame offensive depth chart heading into spring practice.

Ryan Roberts