Notre Dame’s defense is heading into Sunday night with a clear assignment: handle a Wisconsin offense that looks a lot different than the one the Fighting Irish could have studied a year ago.
That’s the challenge in week one. The Badgers still have offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, but the roster around him has changed enough to force Notre Dame to adjust as the game unfolds. With Wisconsin leaning on transfer additions to reshape its attack, the Irish will need to be sharp from the first snap.
The most important layer of that job starts in the middle of the field, where Notre Dame’s linebacker group gives the defense its backbone. Senior middle linebacker Drayk Bowen was named a captain for the second year in a row, and he’s part of a unit that also includes 5th-year senior Jaylen Sneed, senior Jaiden Ausberry, junior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and sophomore Madden Faraimo. That mix of experience, talent, depth and returning production is why this group has been labeled the best in the country all offseason.
Their first major test comes against Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph, Wisconsin’s most productive “returning” offensive player. Joseph leads the Badgers in both passing and rushing production, and his dual-threat skill set is exactly the kind of thing that can stress a defense if it isn’t disciplined. Notre Dame’s linebackers are expected to have the range, athletic ability and speed to handle that challenge, but Sunday night will be the real exam.
Up front, Boubacar Traore enters the season as one of the most intriguing players on the roster. The Notre Dame defensive end broke out last year with team highs in sacks (6.5), tackles for a loss (10.0) and pressures (31), and now the expectation is that he takes another step toward national recognition.
He’ll get an immediate chance to make that statement against Wisconsin right tackle Lucas Simmons-Johansson, who has only 21 college snaps to his name. The 6-7, 323-pound tackle was pushed into the starting role after injuries forced some shuffling in camp. That sets up a matchup where Traore has to be disruptive in every phase, whether that means holding the edge against the run or getting after Joseph as a pass rusher.
Another interior name worth watching is Armel Mukam. The 6-3, 300-pound defensive tackle initially entered the transfer portal after the regular season, then withdrew and turned in what was described as a spectacular offseason. The Canada native earned a starting job alongside 6th-year senior Jason Onye in the opener, and he steps into a game where the run defense could decide a lot.
That’s because Wisconsin’s ground game has been tightly linked to its results under Luke Fickell. The Badgers are 15-0 when they rush for at least 150 yards, and 1-21 when they fall short of that number. Mukam’s matchup with right guard Stylz Blackmon adds another layer to that battle, especially since Blackmon hasn’t played a snap since Week 3 of the 2024 season against North Dakota State.
For Notre Dame, the formula is straightforward: let the linebackers clean up space, let Traore attack an inexperienced edge, and make Wisconsin work for every yard inside. Sunday night will show how quickly this new-look Badger offense can settle in - and how ready the Irish defense really is.
In Other News...
Adon Shuler Showed Notre Dame Fans What Leadership Looks Like
Adon Shulers week already carried the kind of weight most college players never have to deal with. After announcing the death of his father, Don Shuler, the Notre Dame safety and two-time team captain spent time with family in New Jersey, then came back to campus and still took part in a scheduled media session. In a program that talks constantly about leadership, Shuler offered a reminder that it is often shown in the moments when it would be easiest to step away.
What made the scene resonate was the relationship behind it. Don Shuler was 47, and the article underscored how close father and son were, along with the life lessons Don passed along to his son. For Notre Dame, it was a glimpse of one of its captains carrying himself with poise in the middle of grief, and a quiet example of the standard teammates and fans tend to notice even when football is supposed to be the center of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Carr Just Raised The Stakes For Notre Dames Receiver Room
CJ Carrs confidence in Notre Dames receiver room is starting to sound like more than standard offseason praise. The freshman quarterback singled out Mylan Graham, Micah Gilbert, Bubba Frazier and Elijah Burress as players who have earned his trust, pointing to their work ethic and their grasp of the offense as reasons he believes the group can matter this season.
For a team with championship aspirations, that kind of belief from the quarterback carries real weight. Notre Dame has spent plenty of time looking for its passing game to match the rest of the roster, and Carrs view suggests the Fighting Irish think the answer might already be in the building, with several young receivers positioned to help shape what the offense becomes next. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Opens With A Test That Already Feels Like Playoff Football
Notre Dames first night under the lights arrives with a little extra edge, and not just because the opener is at Lambeau Field. Marcus Freemans team walks into a heavyweight matchup with Wisconsin, a game that already carries the feel of a September checkpoint for a program trying to prove it belongs in the playoff conversation after last seasons exclusion. The Irish will lean on quarterback CJ Carr as they try to establish themselves early against a veteran Wisconsin program that knows how to make a season-opening statement of its own.
Luke Fickell brings a familiar challenge for Freeman, given the two coaches long connection and the familiarity that comes with it. Wisconsins new look under center adds another layer to a matchup already loaded with intrigue, and Notre Dame has enough on its plate without wondering how the Badgers will use that quarterback situation to test them. For the Irish, the opener is less about easing into the year than answering a bigger question right away: whether this team is ready to play playoff-caliber football from the start. [Read more 🡒]