There are less than two weeks left before the 2025-26 Irish football team suits up for the season opener!
And as I’ve been getting back into my completely irrational ND football fan mode I realized that this team will look very different from the squad we got to see take the field for a historic 16 times last season. CJ Carr being selected as the starting quarterback has been getting the most attention but let’s dig through the data crates to get a more comprehensive lay of the land.
Starting on the
offensive side of the ball.
Data source: College Football Reference
Defensive Backs
Notre Dame is entering the 2025-26 season with 11 defensive backs on the roster. The group has 13 seasons and 99 games of collective experience. That translates to an average of nine games of experience per player.
- Devonta Smith – Transfer (Alabama): 4 seasons, 34 games
- Christian Gray: 2 seasons, 27 games
- Leonard Moore: 1 season, 16 games.
The group has a combined:
- 96 solo tackles (average of 19.2 per player)
- 135 overall tackles (average of 27 per player)
- 28 pass deflections (5.6 per player)
Defensive Linemen
There are 19 defensive linemen on the Irish’s roster heading into the 2025-36 season. The group has 36 seasons and 293 games of collective experience. That translates to an average of 15.4 games per player.
- Jordan Botelho: 5 seasons, 50 games
- Jared Dawson: 5 seasons, 37 games
- Junior Tuihalamaka: 3 seasons, 42 games
- Gabe Rubio: 4 seasons, 33 games
The group has a combined
- 206 solo tackles (14.7 per player)
- 368 combined tackles (26.2 per player)
- 66 tackles for loss (4.7 per player)
- 40.5 sacks (2.8 per player).
Linebackers
The Irish have 14 linebackers on the roster this season. The group has 14 seasons and 165 games of collective experience. That translates to 11.7 games per player.
- Jaylen Sneed: 3 seasons, 33 games
- Drayk Bowen: 2 seasons, 28 games
- Joshua Burnham: 3 seasons, 28 games
The group has a combined:
- 269 solo tackles (17.6 per player)
- 306 combined tackles (36.2 per player)
- 35 tackles for loss (3.8 per player)
Safeties
Notre Dame has nine safeties on the roster for the 2025-26 season. The group has 11 seasons and 106 games of collective experience. That translates to 11.2 games per player.
- Jalen Stroman: 4 seasons, 36 games
- Luke Talich: 2 seasons, 24 games
- Adon Shuler: 2 seasons, 21 games
The group has a combined:
- 119 solo tackles (23.8 per player)
- 210 combined tackles (42 per player)
