NOTRE DAME TRIPLE THREAT: Ty Washington, Tae Johnson, and Tiki Hola

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Everyone loves to do a player countdown for Notre Dame as we face toward the college football season, but in all fairness, the offseason is much shorter than you think. It’s really only two months in the grand scheme of things, and there will be much more to talk about in the middle of July with media days — so why not deal with the profiles before then?

Welcome to the Triple Threat series. We will profile every player on Notre Dame’s roster, but I’m going to give you three at a time to save some time. Every Triple Threat post will include one offensive player, one defensive player, and one newcomer (freshman or transfer) until we have to do some different combos down the road.

So let’s get started with today’s Triple Threat:

TE Ty Washington #7
DB Tae Johnson #9
DL Tiki Hola #55

TY WASHINGTON #7

HEIGHT 6-4
WEIGHT 253
CLASS SENIOR
HOMETOWN LEESBURG, GA
HIGH SCHOOL LEE COUNTY/ARKANSAS

Ty Washington wasn’t on Notre Dame’s recruiting radar while playing high school football in Georgia. His stat sheet wasn’t overflowing with receptions and touchdowns, and the powerful big skill player eventually ended up at Arkansas as an early enrollee. Injuries are a big reason why Washington’s development stalled a bit while with the Razorbacks, but a trip to the transfer portal allowed him to restart his career.

Washington came to Notre Dame as a physical, blocking tight end — and that’s what Mike Denbrock and the Irish offense used him as throughout the season. To think there won’t be more of the same in 2026 is kind of strange. Sure, Ty can catch a few balls here and there and score a TD every once in a while, but the guy is here to crack skulls and open rushing lanes… and I love him for it.

TAE JOHNSON #9

HEIGHT 6-2
WEIGHT 200
CLASS SOPHOMORE
HOMETOWN FORT WAYNE, IN
HIGH SCHOOL NORTH SIDE

There’s always some talent floating around in the Summit City, but until recently, that talent which ended up at Notre Dame almost always came from Bishop Luers or Bishop Dwenger. North Side isn’t a pipeline school by any stretch, which makes Tae Johnson’s decision to play for the Irish pretty cool. His athleticism was more than noticeable when he arrived, but injuries forced a slow start in South Bend.

It’s kind of strange how much of a slow roll it really was for Johnson. We were pretty sold that he should be the starting safety opposite Adon Shuler, but it took a few games for that to be the actual reality in 2025 — and now we have the best safety duo in the country. His ascencion to the starting role, by the way, was also when Notre Dame’s defense started playing much much better, and I expect more of the same in 2026 (and that includes all of the incredible plays he makes on the back end).

TIKI HOLA #55

HEIGHT 6-3
WEIGHT 310
HOMETOWN BASTROP, TX
HIGH SCHOOL BASTROP
CLASS FRESHMAN

Notre Dame has a fun Polynesian pipeline to the football team, but picking up a Poly kid from Texas is like a double whammy. And speaking of the state of Texas, Hola was an all-state player and defensive MVP in the Lone Star State and was ranked as the #161st recruit in the country by ESPN.

But let’s cut to the chase here… Hola enrolled early this spring and is likely going to be a scout team player as a freshman. He’s going to train, get bigger, stronger, and start developing his skill as an interior defensive lineman. That’s his most likely path this season and into the future. Of course… I thought and said the same thing about both Kurt Finish and MTA, and they played as freshmen at Notre Dame. So… let’s see how fall camp goes.

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