Notre Dame Football Has the Best Pass Rush No One’s Talking About

Football is back, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish kick off the 2025 season this Sunday at a familiar foe: the rival Hurricanes.

Just like last season, the Irish enter the year with College Football Playoff and National Championship aspirations.

Top to bottom, this might be the most talented Notre Dame roster since the Lou Holtz era. That’s especially true along the defensive line, where Team 119 boasts an impressive six-man rotation at the vyper and defensive end positions. That’s not even counting several highly skilled underclassmen who, in years past, would likely have already cracked the rotation.

Now in his fourth season, Marcus Freeman is building depth and talent across the board. But as any championship contender knows, games are won in the trenches. For years, Notre Dame has lagged slightly behind elite programs when it comes to edge pass rushers. That gap? It’s closing fast, if it hasn’t closed already.

The @NDFootball depth chart for this weekend’s game at Miami.

Sunday | Aug. 31 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ABC pic.twitter.com/fBqM3icwto
— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) August 26, 2025

Star Power at Pass Rusher

Depth is important, but the combination of it with star power wins championships.

Last season, Notre Dame’s edge rush took an early hit when top pass rushers Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore went down with season-ending knee injuries. This year, both are healthy and ready to contribute from day one, giving the Irish an immediate boost in experience, energy, and playmaking ability off the edge.

Even more exciting? The rise of sophomore and former five-star recruit Bryce Young, who looks primed for a breakout in year two. As a freshman, Young appeared in all 16 games, tallying 3 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He saved his best performances for the biggest moments, especially late in the season and into the playoff run.

Young has since earned the starting defensive end role opposite Traore at Vyper, and together they might form the most explosive pass rush tandem Notre Dame has fielded in years - perhaps even featuring two future first-round NFL Draft picks.

Irish fans will remember what Traore did in just five games last year: 5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and even a pick-six. His ability to impact the game in multiple ways adds another dimension to this front.

With Young, Traore, and Botelho leading the charge, new Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash inherits a trio of dynamic edge defenders capable of wrecking game plans and setting the tone for a defense with championship ambitions.

A lot of fans around the country are going to know the name Boubacar Traore before this season is over.

Eleven tackles, 3 sacks, 4 TFL and a pick six so far this season for Traore. (via @NDFootball) pic.twitter.com/IGXCQ8QzIU
— Jack Soble (@jacksoble56) September 22, 2024

Depth on Depth on Depth

Notre Dame has no shortage of top-tier talent at defensive end. What truly sets this unit apart is its depth - something that proved critical during the 2024 season, when injuries ravaged the Irish roster. Despite that, Notre Dame still reached the National Championship Game, thanks in large part to players who stepped into roles they weren’t expected to fill and delivered in a big way.

Junior Tuihalamaka entered last season as a forgotten man in the defensive end room. By season’s end, he had become perhaps Notre Dame’s biggest unsung hero. He finished with 33 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks, consistently showing up week after week. He also made a game-changing play in the Sugar Bowl, recovering a crucial fumble that helped put the Irish up by 10 late in the first half.

Joshua Burnham carried more expectations into last season, and though injuries limited him at times, his impact was undeniable when he was on the field. He tied for second on the team with 7 tackles for loss and added 2 sacks. His physicality and ability to anchor the run defense often went unnoticed, but they were vital to the unit’s overall success.

And then there’s Loghan Thomas, a former blue-chip recruit who primarily contributed on special teams as a freshman, but flashed serious potential when given opportunities on defense. In limited snaps, he notched 2 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, showing exactly why Notre Dame was so high on him in the first place.

These six—Traore, Young, Botelho, Tuihalamaka, Burnham, and Thomas make up what could be the deepest and most productive edge rotation in the country.

And it doesn’t stop there. Behind them, players like Preston Zinter, Cole Mullins, Chris Burgess, and Dom Hulak are waiting in the wings. Don’t be surprised if any of them find their way onto the field this season. And if injuries or circumstances call them into action, the Irish have every reason to believe they won’t miss a beat.