College Football's Most Important Players in 2026: No. 21 LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame

Every college football program has a player whose availability changes the ceiling of the entire roster. At Notre Dame in 2026, that player is Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. The 6-foot-3 junior out of St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California, was producing one of the best sophomore linebacker seasons in recent memory before a torn left ACL against Syracuse in November ended his year.

Since then, he missed all of spring practice and is targeting a return by training camp, a timeline that leaves about two months of uncertainty around a defense otherwise built to contend for a national championship.

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No. 21: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

What the 20-year-old defender was doing before the injury is why he appears on this list despite the uncertainty around his availability. In 11 games, Viliamu-Asa posted 48 tackles, a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups.

Pro Football Focus graded him at 89.7 overall, second among all Power Four linebackers behind only Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez, who swept the Nagurski, Bednarik, Butkus and Lombardi awards. KVA's 94.0 PFF run-defense grade ranked second in FBS, also trailing Rodriguez, and his 83.3 coverage grade ranked eighth.

Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa warms up during the Blue-Gold spring football game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In April, I identified KVA as the No. 4 returning linebacker in college football.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation named Viliamu-Asa a second-team preseason All-American in late June. He also landed on the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list.

What Viliamu-Asa means for Notre Dame's 2026 defense

Notre Dame went 10-2 in 2025 and was left out of the College Football Playoff. That omission has supplied the program's offseason vocabulary. Freeman has used the phrase "Leave No Doubt" in nearly every public setting since December, and Viliamu-Asa has adopted it from the training room.

"I trust the training staff," Viliamu-Asa said this spring. "I just want to make sure the next time I step on the field, I'm at 200 percent."

Athletic trainer Rob Hunt said in March that Viliamu-Asa was in "perfect position" in his recovery and that the staff expects him back by early fall or training camp, depending on how he continues to hit milestones. He missed all of spring practice.

New linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who replaced Max Bullough, has used Viliamu-Asa and captain Drayk Bowen as de facto assistant coaches while both rehabbed, tasking them with correcting younger players between reps.

Notre Dame’s Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is the top returning linebacker in college football imo.

Was an all-around star for the Fighting Irish as a sophomore.

Suffered a torn ACL in November but should be good to go by kickoff. pic.twitter.com/YhpsbeMAnV
— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) April 10, 2026

Notre Dame's defense finished 2025 ranked eighth in Defensive F+ after a rocky start that included losses to Miami and Texas A&M in the first two weeks. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash steadied the unit from there, allowing just 12 points per game over the final five contests. The Irish return nine of their top 10 tacklers.

Moore is a unanimous returning All-American at cornerback. Boubacar Traore led the team with 6.5 sacks at defensive end. Alabama transfer Keon Keeley adds another pass-rushing option off the edge.

The Irish's schedule, which includes no opponent projected inside SP+ top 50 until a mid-October trip to BYU, gives the defense time to integrate before the stretch run.

The wildcard is Viliamu-Asa's left knee recovery. If he returns at or near the level he played at before going down, Notre Dame has a legitimate argument as the best defense in college football. If the rehab drags or the knee limits his lateral movement, the Irish lose the one player capable of affecting games at all three levels of the defense.

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