Notre Dame defensive line: Stock up, stock down? X-Factor, freshman outlook

This story appears in the Blue & Gold Illustrated 2024 Notre Dame Football Preview. To order your copy of the 160-page, full-color, glossy magazine, which includes opponent previews, Fighting Irish position previews and position previews like this one, click here .

This is Part 2 in a four-part series previewing the Notre Dame defensive line.

2023 vs. 2024: Stock Up Or Down?

Stock up. Aside from Javontae Jean-Baptiste , who was out of eligibility, the Irish didn’t lose a single contributor from a strong 2023 group. They replaced Jean-Baptiste with Duke graduate transfer RJ Oben , who has similar measurables and a three-year track record of starter-level production in the ACC.

The starting four should be quite good, as it was last season. But behind the starting four, Notre Dame’s depth is both more proven and more promising than it was a year ago.

Senior nose tackle Gabriel Rubio , who struggled with injuries in 2023, should be more of a factor. Senior defensive tackle Jason Onye , junior defensive tackle Donovan Hinish , junior vyper Junior Tuihalamaka and junior defensive end Joshua Burnham all have a season of playing experience under their belt. And just when offensive linemen think they’ve seen everything, here come two youngsters who are just scratching the surface in sophomore vyper Boubacar Traore and freshman defensive end Bryce Young .

Having fun yet? Those tasked with blocking Notre Dame are not.

X-Factor

Traore is still third on the depth chart, because his run defense isn’t where the Irish need it to be yet. He might make a bigger impact than Tuihalamaka or graduate student Jordan Botelho , though.

Every time reporters have seen Traore practice at Notre Dame, he’s been at or near the top of the “standout” list. He gets off the ball with excellent quickness and can bend the edge as well as anyone. Traore also has an impressive array of pass-rush moves, like the duck-rip he used to sack USC quarterback Caleb Williams last year.

Marcus Freeman has said that no matter who the “starters” are, the Irish will play their four best pass rushers on obvious passing downs. There’s a good chance Traore is one of them. He’ll be a situational player this fall, but he’ll play in the most important situations.

Freshman outlook

Asked in late March which freshman impressed him in spring practice, Freeman singled out Young as “physically, being college-ready.” That’s putting it mildly. Young is a mutant. Even with an established starter at field end in Oben and a quality backup in Burnham, Young can absolutely earn limited reps as a freshman.

Nose tackle Sean Sevillano Jr. is interesting, too. Notre Dame wants him closer to 320 pounds before he challenges for a major role, but he moves surprisingly well in small bursts. Sevillano could sneak onto the field if injuries hit the interior defensive line.

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