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Notre Dame 2026 Season Preview: Irish Linebackers Set To Dominate
- Story byRoundtable Sports
- Notre Dame 2026 Season Preview: Irish Linebackers Set To Dominate
(Michael Clubb, USA TODAY Sports)
Notre Dame enters the 2026 season with arguably the best linebacker room in all of college football, and the unit is expected to do big things. The Irish linebacker room is ranked as the No. 1 LB unit in the country by Phil Steele and No. 2 overall by Georgia, and for my money I'm not trading this group for any in the nation, and neither would the Irish coaching staff.
First-year position coach Brian Jean-Maryarrives with a strong reputation as a developer of talent, and he walks into a group loaded with talent. His biggest task is figuring out how to properly utilize all of the talent in the room. It will require buy in from the depth chart, and the players focusing Marcus Freeman's mantra of "team glory in front of yourself."
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Let's continue our 2026 preseason preview of Notre Dame with a look at the linebackers.
DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Drayk Bowen
- 67 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 break ups, 17 pressures (585 snaps - PFF)
Jaiden Ausberry
- 51 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF, 13 pressures (437 snaps - PFF)
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
- 48 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2 break ups, 23 pressures (435 snaps - PFF)
Jaylen Sneed
- 35 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 FF, 12 pressures (313 pressures - PFF)
Madden Faraimo
- 16 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 break up, 5 pressure (144 snaps - PFF)
Kahanu Kia- 9 tackles (33 snaps - PFF)
Teddy Rezac- 4 tackles, 1.0 TFL (17 snaps - PFF)
Ko'o Kia- 1 tackle (2 snaps - PFF)
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2026 EXPECTATIONS
The Notre Dame linebackers got off to a bit of a slow start in 2025 as they tried to adapt to the new defense under Chris Ash. A defense that used its linebackers to attack downhill was asking the group to do more read-and-reacting, and it took some time to adapt. As the unit got more time in the defense you saw the group be far, far more productive. Just look at the numbers. In the first six games of the season, the top five linebackers made 7.0 tackles for loss, had 4.5 tackles for loss and had 26 pressures (PFF). In the final six games, the those same linebackers had 17.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks and 44 pressures (PFF). Just 26.9-percent of the pressures in the first six games resulted in a hit or sack on the quarterback, while 40.9-percent of the pressures in the last six games resulted in a hit or sack on the quarterback.
Looking ahead to 2026, the expectation is that this group plays more like the unit we saw in the final six games, but better. All five of the top linebackers in the rotation from last season return, and while they have a new position coach, the defensive system they are playing in is the same. This group should be even better executing the system than we saw a season ago, which should result in more consistent play and more impactful play. This means not only fewer assignment mistakes, but more tackles near — or behind — the line of scrimmage, more disruptive plays on the quarterback and more disruptive plays in the pass game.
Simply put, this is the deepest and most talented linebacker unit in the country, and in 2026 it should play like it.
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BREAKOUT FOR BOWEN
Expectations are quite high for senior team captain Drayk Bowen. He's been a good football player for Notre Dame the last two seasons, but in his final season I expect a healthy Bowen to be able to be even more productive. Bowen has been the leader of the defense since he stepped into the lineup back in 2024. You could see it each week you watched the Irish, it was the sophomore Bowen who was responsible for making sure that defense was in position to thrive. As a junior, Bowen dealt with adjusting to a new defense and a hip injury, but still had a relatively productive season.
Now a senior, Bowen is in position to put it all together and continue pushing his way into the discussion for being one of the best linebackers in college football. Getting players lined up and getting his teammates to execute at a high level has always been an underrated aspect of Bowen's game, but now that he's finally getting a chance to be playing in the same system for a second straight season (as a starter), Bowen now needs to add playmaker to that group. We saw flashes of it in the final five games of the season, with Bowen racking up 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and seven pressures. Now he needs to put it all together for an entire season.
ELITE DEPTH
Bowen is the unquestioned leader of the defense, but part of what makes the Notre Dame linebacker room elite is the outstanding depth they have. This depth allows the group as a whole to stay more fresh, but it also works because each player has unique strengths and brings different things to the defense. That gives Ash plenty of different types of weapons to utilize.
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Arguably the most underrated player on the Notre Dame defense is redshirt junior Jaiden Ausberry. Over the last two seasons, Ausberry has quietly racked up 109 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He was the starter in the final 10 games of the season, and like Bowen he had a slow adjustment into the Ash defense. Ausberry had a strong finish to the season, registering three of his four tackles for loss and 11 of his 13 pressures in the last five games of the season. He'll once again be counted on to be a consistent playmaker in the Irish defense. Ausberry spent the spring playing Mike linebacker thanks to Bowen being out, Viliamu-Asa being out and Madden Faraimo being limited early in the spring. He took to it quickly, and that time playing in the "lead role" on defense should make him even better — and more versatile — in 2026.
Fifth-year senior Jaylen Sneedhad his best season at Notre Dame last fall, and a big reason was he a bit more consistent than we've seen in the past. There is still room for Sneed to continue improving here, but if he can build on last season he'll finish his Notre Dame career on a high note. Sneed gives good snaps at Will and he also has played a role in Notre Dame's sub packages in recent seasons. Over the last two seasons, Sneed has made 86 tackles, produced 11.0 tackles for loss and made 5.5 sacks. Having a player like Sneed gives the Irish defense an athletic weapon, but it also gives them a player that can handle a bigger role as another key player works his way back from injury.
Sophomore Madden Faraimoarrived at Notre Dame at a time when the unit was as deep as it's been in well over a decade, but that didn't keep him from making his presence felt. He flashed big time ability and it's clear he's the Mike of the future after Bowen heads to the NFL. His three tackles for loss and five pressures in the last two games after Viliamu-Asa went down (see below) showed what he can do in an expanded role. A good problem for Jean-Mary this season will be figuring out how to use Faraimo in what is already a very deep group.
QUESTIONS ABOUT KYNGSTONN
Of course, the player I'm referring to is junior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. He had a bit of a breakout last season, finished second on the defense in tackles for loss (7.5) and was just a half a sack behind Bowen for second in sacks (3.0). He did this despite missing the final game of the season with a knee injury. That's the concern with Viliamu-Asa, where will he be in his recovery, and will he be the same explosive athlete he was last season. If he is, I fully expect Viliamu-Asa to have a highly productive junior season and to continue his emergence as one of the team's most disruptive and dynamic all-around players.
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That's what makes Viliamu-Asa so good. Like the other linebackers, he struggled as an off-ball linebacker early in the season as the group adapted to the changes on defense. But Viliamu-Asa was still able to be a playmaker early in the season because of his work as a pass rusher in the sub packages. As the season wore on, Viliamu-Asa got more comfortable in the off-ball spots and became an even more disruptive and productive player. He had 5.5 tackles for loss in the four games leading into the Syracuse game, which is when he got hurt. If Viliamu-Asa is back to full speed and full strength, I expect him to build on that finish and combine with Bowen to become the best one-two punch in the country and become the unit's most disruptive player.
The good news for Notre Dame is that they don't need to rush him back. If he needs time to get back to full speed they can grant him that because of the depth. The key is getting him to full speed by the time they get to BYU , and to get Viliamu-Asa ready to play his best football in November and beyond. If that happens, Viliamu-Asa will be a big time difference maker on Notre Dame's postseason run.
TALENTED YOUTH
Notre Dame still has plenty of talent behind the veterans, and Faraimo isn't the only talented young player on the roster. Redshirt sophomore Teddy Rezacwas thrust into a more prominent role, and it also thrust him into the Mike role. What the spring showed is that yes, Rezac still has to fill out and get stronger, but it also showed he's a big time athlete that can make a lot of plays. I was very impressed with his range and instincts this spring, and he's knocking on the door of getting to a point where he'll be a legit rotation player — if not starter — in 2027, depending on who leaves for the NFL after the season. Injuries could also thrust him into a more prominent role, and I'm a lot more confident he could thrive in that role in 2026 after what we saw this spring.
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Redshirt freshman Ko'o Kiaalso had a good spring, showing impressive instincts and range despite still being a bit undersized. He'll need to get stronger still, but Kia impressed all spring with his ability to read plays and then use his athletic skill (quickness, speed) to fly to the football and make plays. His older brother, Kahanu Kia, has been a similarly effective playmaker when he's been on the field, but he continues to struggle staying healthy. Hopefully Ko'o can avoid that injury bug.
Freshman Thomas Davis Jr. and Jakobe Clapperare both very athletic players, and both will benefit from not having to be rushed onto the field. This group, combined with the presence of Faraimo, is why the Notre Dame coaching staff isn't panicking about 2027 linebacker recruiting.
BIGGEST QUESTIONS
1. Does The Group Build On Last Season- The Irish linebackers finished last season on a very strong note, and it was clear that with greater comfort in the system they were capable of much better play and production than what we saw the first few games. Another jump is needed, and while I believe this group has the potential to do so, we need to see it.
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2. What Is KVA's Health Status- There's little doubt that Viliamu-Asa is the team's most talented linebacker, and there are high expectations for him in 2026. The question, however, is how healthy will he be and can he return to prime form? Sometimes ACL injuries cause a player to lose a step in his first year back, only to return to form — if not improved form — the second year removed from the injury. The fact Viliamu-Asa's knee injury was in late November does give me pause, so I want to see him back on the field showing the same burst we saw pre-injury.
3. Can This Group Live Up To Expectations- There haven't been expectations this high on a linebacker room at Notre Dame since Lou Holtz was the head coach. This room is loaded and it's experienced, so there are no excuses for it not to be an impact group. The talent is there, the depth is there, they are in the same system as a year ago .... there are no excuses for this group not to dominate. I think they will, but now they have to prove it.
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