NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

At the top, the Notre Dame linebacking corps remains intact. Redshirt senior Jaylen Sneed announced he'll be back for a fifth year, captain Drayk Bowen returns, redshirt junior Jaiden Ausberry returns, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will return from injury relatively early in the season and rising sophomore Madden Faraimo will have a greater impact on defense. With that being said, after some portal losses, some were questioning the potential depth in the room after losing Anthony Sacca and Bodie Kahoun to the portal. 

Impactful Departures

Kahoun was a member of the 2024 recruiting class and came in with players like Viliamu-Asa. He played in three games for the Irish during his freshman season in the regular season but ultimately ended up redshirting in the process. In 2025, Kahoun's redshirt freshman season, he appeared in nine games, mostly on special teams and recorded an assisted tackle. Former Notre Dame linebackers coach Max Bullough noted on multiple occasions that one of the most athletic linebackers in the room was the Virginia native.   

Fellow linebacker, Sacca, who also entered the portal was a member of the 2025 recruiting class. He's one of the few members of the 2025 recruiting class that has elected to try their odds in the portal. Sacca was one of the true freshman on defense that didn't see any snaps this season. He was rated a four-star linebacker by ESPN and Rivals and a three-star rated linebacker by 247Sports and On3. He also had the potential to play on the edge of the defensive line after getting up to 240-pounds as a true freshman. 

Exciting Additions

Here's the good news: Notre Dame has signed the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country and is bringing in two linebackers who will round out the depth and likely have some impact on special teams. North Carolina native Thomas Davis Jr. is the son of former NFL linebacker Thomas Davis who played for the Panthers. The 6-2, 218-pound linebacker chose Notre Dame over his father's alma mater, Georgia. He was a consensus four-star recruit and was 2nd Team All-State in 2024. Davis was the 9th ranked linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class and the 12th ranked recruit in the state. 

Davis will be joined by Ohio native Jakobe Clapper who was graded as a three-star recruit in the 2026 class, but has extremely high upside. Clapper was the 30th ranked linebacker in the 2026 recruiting cycle and the 20th ranked recruit in the state. He was named to the 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School All-American team and was the 2025 GCL Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. Notre Dame's defensive coaching staff kept the impactful losses to a minimum, but the talent and depth they're bringing in cushions the blow of losing Kahoun and Sacca. 

——- 

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos