Defense
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Notre Dame’s ‘Revenge Tour’ Starts With a Secondary That Hasn’t Moved On
Notre Dame's secondary embraces a 'revenge tour' mentality as they prepare for the upcoming season.
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Marcus Freeman Offers High Praise for New Notre Dame DL Coach Charlie Partridge
Notre Dame’s defensive line was always going to be one of the more important position groups to watch this spring, but the early conversation around that unit is shifting in…
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Even Without Full Reps, Drayk Bowen Is Setting the Tone for Notre Dame’s Defense
Drayk Bowen isn’t taking full reps this spring as he recovers from off-season shoulder surgery, but that hasn’t changed his role within Notre Dame’s defense. If anything, it has expanded…
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Jaylen Sneed Came Back for One More Run — Now He’s Leading Notre Dame’s Defense
There were easier paths available to Jaylen Sneed this offseason. He could have entered the NFL Draft. He could have explored the transfer portal. Instead, he chose to come back…
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Notre Dame’s Linebackers Have the Talent to Be a Defensive Strength in 2026
For all the attention on Notre Dame’s defensive line additions and the stability of year two for coordinator Chris Ash, one position group quietly has the potential to define the…
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Brian Jean-Mary Bringing Back the Basics for Notre Dame’s Linebackers
If there’s one consistent theme emerging from Notre Dame’s spring practices, it’s this: fundamentals matter. For new linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, that emphasis isn’t just a coaching cliche – it’s…
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Notre Dame Rebuilt Its Defensive Line – And It Shows This Spring
If there was clear weakness in Notre Dame’s defense early in the 2025 season, it was along the interior of the defensive line. The Irish simply didn’t have the size…
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Chris Ash Enters Year 2 at Notre Dame With Momentum — and New Challenges
At this time a year ago, Chris Ash was still figuring everything out. He was learning the roster, building relationships with players and staff, and installing a defensive system on…
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Jason Onye’s Return Adds Needed Stability to Notre Dame’s Interior Defensive Line
Notre Dame got more good news on Tuesday when the NCAA approved a sixth year of eligibility for Jason Onye, further solidifying an interior defensive line that looked thin not…
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Donovan Hinish Retirement Turns Notre Dame’s Biggest Portal Priority Into a Necessity
The case was already clear. Defensive tackle stood alone as the one position Notre Dame could not afford to ignore in the transfer portal heading into 2026. The Irish were…
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The One Position Notre Dame Cannot Ignore in the Transfer Portal
Instead of getting ready for a first-round playoff matchup this weekend — the assumed destination for a 10–2 Notre Dame team — the Irish coaching staff is already turning its…
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With Tae Johnson Out, Jalen Stroman’s Moment Arrived — And He Deliverd
Notre Dame’s 70–7 demolition of Syracuse will be remembered for the historic scoring outburst, but lost in the mix is that it all started with a transfer player who had…
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Clarity and Violence: Notre Dame’s Defense Finding Its Edge Again
Marcus Freeman didn’t need a whiteboard to explain Notre Dame’s defensive resurgence. His halftime message against NC State said everything: “Stop beating Notre Dame.” Two weeks ago, that sounded like…
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Clarity, Velocity, Violence: Notre Dame’s Linebackers Fuel Defensive Resurgence
For weeks, Marcus Freeman has repeated the same three words to his defense: clarity, velocity, and violence. Against Boise State, his linebackers finally delivered all three. “We’ve been able to…
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Leonard Moore’s Return Brings Back the Confidence Notre Dame’s Defense Needed
When Leonard Moore jogged out of the Notre Dame tunnel, it wasn’t just a welcome sight — it was the missing piece returning to a defense searching for itself. By…
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Defense Delivered: Notre Dame Rediscovers Its Edge in Win Over Boise State
Just two weeks ago, Marcus Freeman called his defense’s performance “a low point.” On Saturday, that same group looked reborn. In front of the home crowd at Notre Dame Stadium,…
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Simplified, Not Smaller: How the Notre Dame Defense Found Their Groove
Marcus Freeman has spent the last two weeks hammering a single theme into his program: growth comes from being uncomfortable. After Notre Dame’s defense was torched for explosive plays in…
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Freeman Sees Notre Dame Secondary Answer the Call
For the first two weeks of the season, Notre Dame’s secondary was under siege. Big plays piled up, communication broke down, and criticism mounted as opponents picked apart a unit…
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Freeman Pushes Notre Dame Defensive Staff in “Uncomfortable” Meeting
Marcus Freeman didn’t mince words in his weekly press conference. Even after securing Notre Dame’s first win of the season, the head coach spent much of his time addressing the…
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Freeman Again Defends Notre Dame’s Defensive Struggles Despite Costly Lapses
Marcus Freeman has built his head coaching reputation on defense. At Cincinnati and then Notre Dame, he was the energetic recruiter and schematic mind who helped construct top-10 units. But…
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Freeman Points to Execution, But Chris Ash’s Defense is the Real Problem
Marcus Freeman wants you to believe Notre Dame’s defensive struggles are about execution. After back-to-back weeks of its once proud defense getting gashed, Freeman repeated the same refrain: “No, it’s…
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Missed Tackles, Slow Starts: Freeman Points to Fixes After Week One
Notre Dame’s season opener against Miami didn’t just end in disappointment — it exposed familiar flaws. Missed tackles, struggles in short-yardage situations, and sluggish starts to both halves haunted the…
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No Pressure: Notre Dame Defensive Line Struggles Doom Irish in Miami
Notre Dame went to Miami hoping its defensive line would anchor the team the way Marcus Freeman has always envisioned and the way it did in 2024 when the Irish…
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Six Deep at End: Notre Dame’s Defensive Line Rotation Looks Loaded
South Bend, Ind. – If there’s one position Marcus Freeman sounded most confident about entering 2025, it’s Notre Dame’s defensive line. With six capable edge rushers and a defensive tackle…
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Chris Ash Compares Notre Dame’s Defensive Talent to Ohio State’s 2014 Title Team
While Marcus Freeman’s post-scrimmage remarks on Sunday centered on the quarterback battle and Mike Denbrock’s answered even more questions about the signal callers, defensive coordinator Chris Ash made it clear his focus is on…
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