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Roundtable Sports
Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Defensive Tackle Jason Onye
- Story byRoundtable Sports
- Notre Dame 2026 Player Profile: Defensive Tackle Jason Onye
(Angela Driskell, Irish Breakdown)
When Notre Dame first went into the offseason the defensive tackle position was the biggest concern on the roster. The Irish had lost Jared Dawsonand Gabriel Rubio , as was expected, but Donovan Hinishalso re tired from football due to injuries. Notre Dame also expected to lose Jason Onye , who was petitioning for a sixth season, something the NCAA had not been overly fond of granting. In the first big victory of the offseason, that request was granted and Onye was able to return for a sixth and final season, which completely changed the outlook of the position.
Here is our 2026 season preview and profile for Onye:
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JASON ONYE PROFILE
Class/Eligibility: Sixth Year / Senior
Height/Weight: 6-5, 295
Hometown/High School: North Providence, R.I./Bishop Hendricken
CAREER STATS
2025: 354 snaps, 26 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 TFL, 17 pressures (PFF)
2024: 106 snaps, 7 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 TFL, 10 pressures (PFF)
2023: 155 snaps, 17 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 TFL, 8 pressures (PFF)
2022: 8 snaps, 2 tackles
CAREER: 623 snaps, 52 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 35 pressures (PFF)
2025 SEASON IN REVIEW
Onye was off to a great start in 2024, but his season was cut short after five games due to off the field issues. After another strong spring, the hope was that Onye would pick up where he left off. Unfortunately, Onye got off to a very slow start and clearly had a lot of rust to shake off. Through the first six games, Onye had just nine tackles, two pressures and four run stops. He was okay, but the playmaker we hoped we would see wasn't wearing a #47 jersey.
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Something clicked in the 34-24 win over USC. Onye was outstanding in that victory, disrupting the USC run game, he got pressure up the middle and he looked like a different player. From that moment until the end of the season, Onye was a much more impactful defender and played like the guy Irish fans and coaches hoped he could be. Onye racked up 17 tackles, 15 pressures and nine run stops in the final six games of the season. A case could be made he ended the 2025 season playing the most consistently effective football of his career.
FALL CAMP PREVIEW
For Onye, there isn't much I need to see from him in fall camp. He's a sixth-year senior that has been dominant in spring practice and fall camp for years. The key for him in fall camp is getting healthy, staying healthy, being focused on improving his technique and just being consistent going about his business every day. Just getting to the season healthy and locked in is all that really matters for Onye at this point.
2026 EXPECTATIONS
The expectation for Onye is simple, be the best version of himself on a consistent basis. Onye is a talented player, and that's why he has been able to show the flashes he has. I don't know that there's anything that Onye is elite at, but when he's locked in he has a strong all-around game. He is long, he grown man strength, shows the quickness you need to be a playmaker, his block destruction (when he's locked in) is impressive and he can get off to the ball and he closes on the ball quite well. His first step quickness is an impressive trait, but as he's matured his game he's shown an ability to drive his feet and rock blockers back.
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So can Onye be a more consistent player? The flashes have been impressive, there's no question about that. In 2024, a case could be made that Onye was the most impressive interior lineman through the first five games. Rylie Mills was clearly the best interior defender for the entire season, but Onye was hot to start the 2024 campaign. He was without a doubt their best interior defender in the final six games of the 2025 season. His production per snap numbers during those two stretches were outstanding. Look at how his per snap production during those 11 games compared to Mills and Howard Cross III , who were both second team All-Americans.
According to PFF, Onye played 165 pass rush snaps in the first five games of the 2024 season and the last six games of the 2025 campaign. In those 165 snaps, Onye racked up 25 pressures and six sacks + hits on the quarterback. He played 147 run game snaps in those games and racked up 13 run stops.
Here's a look at how his numbers would stack up against Mills and Cross if he played the same number of snaps:
Onye vs Mills - 44 pressures (Onye) vs 34 pressures (Mills)Onye vs Mills - 22 run stops (Onye) vs 21 run stops (Mills)
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Onye vs Cross - 51 pressures (Onye) vs 39 pressures (Cross)Onye vs Cross - 24 run stops (Onye) vs 32 run stops (Cross)
This compares the 2024 All-America season for Mills and the 2023 All-America season for Cross. Onye's numbers blow away the 2024 season for Cross, so I compared him to the 2023 season, which was his best season.
If you want to talk expectations for Onye, it's not necessarily that he needs to be the next All-American DT for the Irish. The expectations are, however, that he can consistently play at a high level and that he can consistently be an impact player.
A GOOD SEASON FOR ONYE WOULD BE ....
One in which we stop using the words flashy and potential, and start using the words consistent and productive. When talking about his stretches of dominant play we aren't talking a game here or a game there, we are talking stretches of at least 3-4 games in two different seasons. If he can stop performing well in stretches, and start doing that consistently, he's capable of finishing his career off on a very, very strong note.
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