Notre Dame landed two familiar names on the Lombardi Award Watch List on Tuesday, with junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and junior left guard Anthonie Knapp both earning spots on the preseason group.
The Lombardi Award goes to linemen and linebackers who reflect the award’s standard of leadership, courage, performance and discipline on and off the field. For Notre Dame, the latest watch-list nods put two of its most important front-line players in the mix for one of college football’s top interior honors.
Knapp is entering his third season in the starting lineup and stands as the most experienced offensive lineman on the roster. He has 27 career starts and played in three playoff games, and this year he has moved inside to left guard, a spot where he projects to have his highest ceiling. He has already started drawing attention this offseason.
Viliamu-Asa comes into the season after a knee injury cost him the final game and a half of the 2025 regular season, but his production still popped. He finished with 48 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and one interception.
The California native has become one of the most discussed linebackers in the country, and PFF ranked him as the No. 1 returning linebacker in the nation. He has also already been named to the Bronko Nagurski Award Watch List and the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List this preseason.
Notre Dame’s history with the Lombardi Award is loaded. The program has produced five winners, starting with defensive end Walt Patulski in 1971, then defensive end Ross Browner in 1977, defensive tackle Chris Zorich in 1990, offensive lineman Aaron Taylor in 1993 and, most recently, linebacker Manti Te'o after his 2012 season.
The Irish have also had their share of finalists. Joe Alt reached that stage in 2023, while Taylor did it after the 1992 season and Zorich did it for his 1989 performance. Tight end Ken McAfee was another notable Notre Dame finalist, coming off his 1977 season.
The only player on Notre Dame’s schedule to make the Lombardi Award Watch List is BYU linebacker Cade Uluave. Uluave transferred to Provo this offseason from California and is expected to be a key piece of the Cougars’ defense this fall. It was a bit surprising not to see an offensive or defensive lineman from BYU, Miami or SMU on the list.
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