Notre Dame’s linebacker room has all the makings of the kind of unit that can set the tone for an entire defense.
As the Irish look toward the 2026 season, the group checks every box that matters: experience, talent, production and upside. That’s why calling this the best linebacking corps in the country isn’t just a hot take. Notre Dame brings back the most production in college football according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, and a major chunk of it sits inside Brian Jean-Mary’s room.
The headliners are easy to spot. Senior middle linebacker and captain Drayk Bowen is back.
So are 5th-year senior Jaylen Sneed, senior Jaiden Ausberry, junior Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and sophomore Madden Faraimo. All five played meaningful roles in last year’s rotation, and Ausberry believes the group’s strength comes from the way they push each other every day.
"I feel like being in the room with them makes everybody better," Ausberry explained. "You know, it always pushes everybody a little harder, but we're always helping each other.
We're giving each other tips. But I feel like being in that room with, everybody is really a blessing because if you want to be the best, you've got to be around the best, so that's something that I always have in mind.”
Sneed knows that environment well. The South Carolina native is entering his fifth and final season with Notre Dame, and he’s become comfortable with the rhythm of game day in a room that can rotate five linebackers on any given Saturday.
For him, the job goes beyond playing his snaps. It’s about watching, teaching and staying engaged while the game is unfolding.
"I feel like I'm always trying to see what's going on on the field," Sneed shared. "I'm going to get my quick sip of water and then go watch my position.
I want to watch it live so I can see how the offense is trying to attack us and what they're trying to do. If he messes up or he does something, I can help coach him up.
That's why I just always want to be that coach on the field and help, just because I'm a fifth-year guy and I know so much and I want to be able to help share my wisdom.”
The biggest wild card in the room is Viliamu-Asa, who was sidelined by a season-ending knee injury in 2025. Even so, Jean-Mary has been impressed by the way the junior has handled the recovery process. He pointed to Viliamu-Asa’s consistency and presence as signs that he’s ready to jump back in once the live action starts.
"KVA is different," Jean-Mary raved. "He hasn't missed a beat here, and once he gets that first live rep, makes that first tackle, first sack, or makes a play out in open field, I think he's going to be ready to rock and roll.
I’ve told people he's very, very rare in that whatever he does own the field, he's got the same demeanor, same body, same stance, same body positions. And that is different.
If we do a walkthrough, he's the same guy."
With Notre Dame carrying national championship expectations into 2026, this position group looks built for the spotlight. If the Irish defense is going to meet the standard surrounding it, the linebackers will have to be one of the engines driving it. Based on the production, depth and experience back in the room, that looks like a fair bet.
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The Irish have discussed the possibility of bringing Tuihalamaka back, but the situation does not appear settled, and that hesitation could end up shaping his next move. For a program that would prefer clarity in the trenches before camp fully takes hold, the unresolved status of a veteran lineman is the sort of roster decision Notre Dame has been trying to avoid. [Read more 🡒]