Heading into the offseason one of the biggest questions facing the Notre Dame defense was what would the defensive tackle depth chart look like. After a rough start to the offseason, the position group has been completely overhauled and upgraded over the last two weeks and now it looks like the group could once again be a strength of the defense. In fact, the improvements and breaks that have gone Notre Dame's way could result in this unit being arguably the best rotation in a very long time.

The offseason began with Notre Dame losing standout Jared Dawson and Gabriel Rubio to graduation. Rubio was Notre Dame's biggest regular, and losing him sapped a lot of size from the interior. It was also expected that Notre Dame would lose Jason Onye, who was petitioning the NCAA for a 6th season, something the NCAA had not been overly keen on granting this offseason. Shortly after the season ended Donovan Hinish announced his retirement after dealing with a major shoulder injury. Two days later Armel Mukam announced his intention to enter the transfer portal.

Just like that, in a very short period of time, the interior depth chart was absolutely gutted. A strength of the defense in 2025, and a position that produced an All-American in 2023 (Howard Cross III) and 2024 (Rylie Mills), was a major, major question mark for the Notre Dame defense. The start to the portal window didn't go very well as the Irish had some early missteps, but over the last two weeks things have dramatically changed for the Irish.

It began with Mukam announcing he was withdrawing from the portal and returning to Notre Dame. Within the next week the Irish landed two big time players out of the portal when Francis Brewu (Pittsburgh) and Tionne Gray (Oregon) announced they were signing with Notre Dame. The last bit of good news was that Onye had been granted a sixth season.

Just like that the interior depth chart was restocked in a way where the group has a chance to be even better than it was a season ago. In fact, the talent and depth is good enough for this group to be the program's best interior group in a very long time. 

Let's take a look at the interior rotation as we kick off our 2026 position group analysis.

Onye was the starter at nose tackle last season while Dawson was the primary starter at three-technique (defensive tackle). While that was often where they started, and what they are designated, but the reality is under defensive coordinator Chris Ash the positions are somewhat interchangeable. At times we saw Onye and Dawson playing left/right more than NT/DT. When teams would shift strength they would simply bump over a gap, with the DT moving into the A Gap and the NT bumping into the B Gap. They would also simply line up in both spots.

That's worth keeping in mind as you look at the depth chart, as it means there is a lot of flexibility for new position coach Charlie Partridge to move the pieces around to get his best alignments and personnel groups on the field.

RETURNING PRODUCTION

The return of Jason Onye gives the Irish back one of its starters from last season. Onye made nine starts last season, including the last eight games. His first three starts were at three technique opposite either Hinish or Rubio. His final six starts had Onye playing the nose position, and that's when his game took off. Onye can play both spots, and I think his late season surge had more to do with him getting more comfortable in the system and playing with greater consistency than just him moving to nose, but that was also a factor.

According to Pro Football Focus, Onye had 15 pressures and nine run stops in the final six games. The film in the final six games is impressive and you could see Onye learning how to be more of a playmaker. If he could repeat that second half of the season for a full season you're talking about 30 pressures and 18 run stops, which is very close to the production that we saw from Mills during his All-American season. Mills had 33 pressures and 19 run stops in the 2024 regular season.

Elijah Hughes transferred from USC last season and it took him a little bit of time to crack the rotation. He played just nine snaps in the first two games, but as the season wore on he played more and more. Hughes played 255 snaps in the final 10 games and was a key part of the interior rotation. He led the defense in run stops while playing mostly at the three-technique, and there is some potential for him to provide a big more pass rushing production if he can use his hands a bit better next season.

The return of Onye and Hughes means the Irish bring back two vets who played a lot of important snaps last season, giving them a strong foundation to build upon.

Although he hasn't played much in his first three seasons, I am curious to see Brenan Vernon this spring. I'm not expecting a breakout or anything, but I did like Vernon's potential early in his career and I'm curious if the coaching change can spark Vernon to make a jump this season. 

TRANSFERS SHORE UP DEPTH

Bringing back Onye and Hughes is a solid foundation, and there are some talented young players, but without success in the portal there were still going to be questions at defensive tackle. Notre Dame certainly hit their mark by landing Francis Brewu (Pittsburgh) and Tionne Gray (Oregon).

Brewu was an outstanding player for the Panthers, finishing his sophomore season with 36 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss and a sack. He had 20 pressures and 18 run stops in the Panther defense and was named Honorable Mention All-ACC last season. Brewu is a powerful player that can play both spots in the interior, although I project him to start off at three-technique. He's explosive off the ball, he showed improved playmaking ability as a sophomore and Brewu still has plenty of room to grow his game.

Gray is a massive player that was listed at 6-6 and 336 pounds this past season with the Ducks. He's a quality athlete for his size, but his game is about power and size. He's hard to move off the ball when he keeps a good base, he is stout at the point of attack and he gives Notre Dame major beef at the nose position, something it lost when Rubio graduated. 

Adding Brewu and Gray gives the Irish rush defense a major, major boost. Brewu will be very hard to keep out of the starting lineup and Gray will be a key part of the interior rotation.

UP AND COMERS TO WATCH

A lot of the focus will be on the transfers and the return of Onye, but there are a number of talented young players who have a chance to make their presence felt in the spring. I would not be shocked if at least one of these players forces their way into the interior rotation.

The return of Armel Mukam was key for Notre Dame. He didn't play much last season, but Mukam did earn more reps late in the season and his per-snap production was solid. Mukam has good size, he's quick and he has the tools to develop into a playmaker, but he'll need to turn his potential into production this season. If he does, don't be shocked if Mukam forces his way into a key rotation role this season.

Redshirt sophomore Cole Mullins was coming back from a knee injury last season, but he's now three full years removed from his high school injury and two seasons removed from his freshman season injury. Mullins only played 59 snaps last season, but he's impressed sources with his quickness, motor, power and pass rushing potential.

The Irish want to get bigger at nose tackle, and two young players have a chance to help add more beef to the run defense. That would be redshirt sophomore Sean Sevillano and Davion Dixon. Both players will get a shot to push for a role this season. There's time for Dixon to still grow into a key interior player, but with Gray's arrival this makes for a very, very important offseason for Sevillano. I'm looking forward to seeing how Dixon performs this spring after missing chunks of last season with injuries.

Redshirt freshman Gordy Sulfsted is likely still a season away from being big and strong enough to really help the interior, but there is a lot of potential here. Sulfsted has really impressed sources with his athleticism and playmaking ability, but this season will likely be about him getting bigger, stronger and enhancing his overall technique. He's talented enough to make a jump this offseason, but I have a feeling we'll be talking a lot more about Sulfsted in 2027.

POTENTIAL POSITION CHANGE

I'm very curious to see what Notre Dame does with redshirt freshman Christopher Burgess Jr. Prior to the two portal pickups and the return of Onye I was fully expecting him to move inside. That could certainly still happen, and I think that will eventually be where he ends up, but the depth at the position could result in Burgess staying outside for 2026. There's a chance he's already out-grown the position, and if that's the case he'll move inside even with the depth.

Burgess is a very, very intriguing player. I've heard some good reports on what he showed late in his freshman season. It wouldn't shock me if Burgess checks in at over 290 pounds, which would make a move inside make sense, but the Chicago native is also a pretty twitchy athlete for his size so he could have a role as a power end as well. Either way, I will have my eye on Burgess this offseason and won't be shocked if a breakout comes.

ROOKIE IMPACT

Only two players (Onye, Hughes) are out of eligibility after the 2026 season, so the future of the position appears to be in great shape. Part of that is due to the arrival of 2026 signees Tiki Hola and Elijah Golden. Landing these two talented interior defenders was huge for Notre Dame. They are talented, they have extremely high ceilings and both were big time playmakers in high school. Golden earned All-America honors as a senior and racked up an astounding 63 tackles for loss and 24 sacks the last two seasons. Hola has legit beef, but he's long and athletic, and like Golden he was a playmaker the last two seasons.

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