Notre Dame Safety Duo Amongst The Best In The Country
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
It's been established that Notre Dame returns the No. 1 cornerback in the country this season. Leonard Moore is coming off a season where he was named a Unanimous All-American and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award and the Bronko Nagurski Award. He's the 'crown jewel' in Notre Dame's secondary. But don't let that distract you from the fact that South Bend is also home to one of the best, if not the best, returning safety duo in the country.
Rising redshirt junior Adon Shuler is one of the returning captains on this stout defense. He's entering his third year in the starting lineup this fall and has been one of the most productive players for Notre Dame's defense. In 2024, his first year in the starting lineup, the New Jersey native played 768 snaps as a redshirt freshman and started all 16 games alongside Xavier Watts.
The 6-0, 202-pound safety racked up 59 total tackles, five passes defended, three interceptions one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Shuler was targeted 32 times as a redshirt freshman and didn't allow a single touchdown in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus. He was also credited with 23 run stops in his first year in the starting lineup as well.
The past season, Shuler played 661 snaps and started all 11 of the 12 games this season. He didn't play in the first half against Purdue due to a targeting call in the second half of the Texas A&M game. In 2025, he recorded 53 tackles, 1.0 sack, five passes defended, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He was targeted 28 times and only allowed one touchdown which came against USC according to Pro Football Focus.
Shuler is one of the best players the Irish have on defense. He has over 100 tackles, five interceptions, 10 passes defended and has only allowed one touchdown in the last two seasons as a starting safety. He's also one of the more underrated players on defense. Throughout 2024, he started alongside Watts who was the best safety in the country. This past season, the hype as the safety spot quickly transitioned over to Tae Johnson who was an FWAA Freshman All-American.
The 6-2, 195-pound Fort Wayne, Indiana native had a stellar first season on the Irish defense as a starter. As a redshirt freshman in 2025, Johnson recorded 48 tackles which was fourth on the defense. He also tallied three passes defended and four interceptions which was second on the defense behind Moore. He played 573 snaps which was fifth on the team and that was with only playing nine snaps against Miami and missing the final two games of the regular season.
Notre Dame has another star in the mix on the back end of the defense in Johnson. The biggest area of improvement for him is his health. If he can stay healthy, he's going to have another productive and impactful season.
This conversation doesn't even dive into what Luke Talich brings to the table or what contributions they'll get this season from redshirt freshman Ethan Long or five-star true freshman Joey O'Brien. Shuler and Johnson are one of the most experienced and one of the most talented safety duos in the country, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do this fall.
——-
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