Notre Dame's Unlikely Off-Season Standout Earns Starting Spot

It was only a few months ago that Notre Dame defensive tackle Armel Mukam was pretty much forgotten about.

Now it's game week for the 2026 opener against Wisconsin; Notre Dame is among the favorites to win the national championship, and Mukam is atop the Fighting Irish depth chart.

How did we get here?

Armel Mukam as a Recruit

Mukam was a highly touted recruit back in the 2023 cycle, earning a four-star grade from 247Sports and a top-200 overall ranking. He listed over 20 scholarship offers, and the Woodberry Forest, Virginia product ultimately picked the Fighting Irish over his home-state Cavaliers.

Defensive lineman Armel Mukam has officially signed with Notre Dame! pic.twitter.com/Att8zZyEdN
— Notre Dame Recruiting (@NDrecruiting01) December 21, 2022

While he came with high praise, Mukam didn't exactly make a splash during his first couple falls in South Bend.

Armel Mukam's First Three Years at Notre Dame

Despite those high recruiting rankings, things didn't start with a bang for Mukam at Notre Dame.

And they didn't get there in year two, either.

Or really, in year three.

In his first two seasons, he played in 12 games, recording a combined six tackles.

Last year, he saw his playing time jump as he appeared in all 12 games, but his numbers were still far from great as he recorded five total tackles, with 1.5 coming for a loss.

Canadian Armel Mukam (88) makes the most of his reps at Notre Dame.

Coaches preach swarming to the ball, and the sophomore DT from La Prairie, Que., gives an example of what happens when a 3-tech doesn’t give up on a play. (Maybe a turnover on Canadian fields?)

🎥 @theACCDN pic.twitter.com/itE2yBSAQU
— Alex McComb (@alexmmccomb) November 17, 2025

Notre Dame entered the off-season and saw defensive line coach Al Washington first move to coach linebackers, before moving on to the NFL. In a trickle down, Charlie Partridge was hired to coach the defensive line after having recently spent time with the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Panthers.

Mukam entered the transfer portal and had offers from several programs, while Notre Dame hit up the portal to land defensive line help in the form of Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray.

It was assumed that Mukam would move on, but instead he decided to return to Notre Dame, which appears to have been a blessing for both him and the Fighting Irish.

Armel Mukam's Unlikely Outlook for 2026 at Notre Dame

While Partridge reunited with former Pittsburgh players in South Bend, early returns make it appear that Mukam has been the biggest benefactor of his hiring.

Mukam is a name we heard throughout fall camp and on Monday it was made official, as Notre Dame released its official depth chart.

While fall camp was an indicator, it became official when Mukam was listed as the starter at defensive tackle for the Fighting Irish this week.

There wasn't an "or" listed between him and Brewu at defensive tackle, it was a clear No. 1 and No. 2 situation.

Veteran linebacker Jaylen Sneed described Mukam's development as him being "at an entirely different level" compared to last year while Marcus Freeman described him as having a "terrific camp" and "really elevating his play".

Freeman also made clear that Mukam has developed as more than just a player, too.

"His leadership is showing," Freeman said. "He's not only a leader by the way he plays but his vocal leadership is showing up, and he's making those people around him better."

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts

This is the kind of story that is becoming less common across college football, and it nearly didn't happen.

How often these days, at Notre Dame or elsewhere, do we see things not work out for a player and they enter the transfer portal and are on the next bus out of town?

That was nearly the case for Mukam as he had his feet in the portal, but ultimately he felt his best decision was to give the new defensive line coach a chance and he's been rewarded for his hard work, and for staying.

Now can Mukam become a force on the defensive front that Notre Dame has lacked, and be a difference maker the Fighting Irish have largely lacked?

If so, an almost aftertought could end up being a major reason Notre Dame is able to finally knock down the national championship door for the first time in 38 years.

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