Bryce Young arrived at Notre Dame with a name that instantly tugged at memories of Bryant Young, the former Irish star and Hall of Famer. But the son’s path has been his own, built in Charlotte and shaped by a game that was still catching up to his frame as he kept growing past his father’s 6-foot-3 height.
That development showed up quickly once he got to campus. Young turned heads in preseason work in 2024 and earned a steady role in the end rotation for Notre Dame’s national title runner-up team. He lined up with Boubacar Traore, Junior Tuihalamaka, Josh Burnham and Duke transfer RJ Oben, giving the Irish a deep group at the position even after Traore’s knee injury five games into the year.
Young’s freshman season was defined by impact plays that jumped off the page. He blocked a field goal against Miami (Ohio) in September, got another field goal block against Georgia Tech in October and then swatted a punt against Florida State in November. Those moments made him impossible to ignore, even with Oben starting 14 games and Burnham starting 10.
He also kept building out the rest of his game. Young logged his first collegiate tackle in Game 4 against Miami (Ohio), posted a freshman-best three stops against Louisville and then topped that with four tackles three games later against Florida State.
He picked up his first half-sack against the Seminoles and his first solo sack against Indiana in the playoffs. In the Orange Bowl against Penn State, he matched his career high with four tackles and finished the season with 23 tackles, including three behind the line of scrimmage.
With Oben gone and Traore returning from injury in 2025, Marcus Freeman expected Young to take another step. Freeman pointed to the physical growth first.
"Physically, he's gotten bigger. He's got good genetics, but he's a big man," Freeman said. "What you've seen over training camp is him really handling his weight and using it in the right way, being a powerful football player, not just an edge rusher.
"He's now really enhanced his game to be a complete defensive end in the run and the pass game. He's getting better and he's a guy that came in as a freshman who was really freaking good and he's continuously getting better."
Young’s 2025 season opened with his first and only career start so far, coming against Miami. Even so, his role stayed familiar, with about two-dozen snaps a game.
He finished with 20 tackles, and half of them came in the first four games. He had three tackles each against Miami, Texas A&M and Arkansas, added a sack against Purdue, and recorded half-sacks against Boston College and Syracuse.
He also used his length to bat down three passes, including two against Pittsburgh.
There was some thought that he may have played too heavy as a sophomore in 2025, and he showed up for spring football at 260 pounds. Young said the focus was more about finding the right fit than chasing a number.
"I wouldn't say (I put on) too much weight," said Young this spring. "Just adjusting to what was asked of me and then having to adjust again.
Every season is something new. You have to learn what works for you and what doesn't.
That's how we grow as humans.
"Understanding what is best for me has been a huge part of my journey. Right now, I feel I'm in a great spot.
I'm strong. I'm fast.
I feel like I've made a lot of improvement."
Now, with defensive line coach Charlie Partridge in the picture, Notre Dame is hoping Young’s next jump is the biggest one yet. Young said the fit has already been valuable.
"Adding Coach Partridge to my journey has been great," Young said. "He has so much knowledge of the game.
He's been in the game forever. He knows things and he's telling me things he's seen from his many years of experience that I'm actually seeing on the field and I can apply it.
It's really cool."
Partridge has seen enough early to like where this is headed.
"Similar to Boubacar, he's doing a good job of playing physical on the edge in the run game," Partridge said. "He's getting much better at that.
Still a work in progress, but he's got great length. He can move.
He can bend. He has a ceiling that we're still working towards."
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Marcus Freeman Just Turned Notre Dame Media Week Into A Pressure Test
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Freeman also used the spotlight to talk about the broader shape of the program, from recruiting momentum to the challenge of keeping the standard high once the season starts. Carr, meanwhile, kept the focus on team goals even as his own profile rises, and the two of them made sure to point out the kind of games that can define a season before October arrives. For a coach whose name keeps surfacing in NFL conversations, the week was as much about reinforcing Notre Dames direction as it was about selling it. [Read more 🡒]