2026 Notre Dame Defense Preview with Bryan Driskell: Is This an Elite Championship Defense?

Bryan Driskell from Irish Breakdown joins Tyler and Lance for a complete breakdown of the 2026 Notre Dame defense, a unit that enters the season with legitimate expectations of being one of the best in college football.Bryan has Notre Dame ranked as the No. 2 defense in the country, with a top-five defensive line, top-five linebacker room and what he believes is the best secondary in America. We start with Chris Ash entering Year 2 as defensive coordinator and why Notre Dame’s defense improved so dramatically as the 2025 season progressed. The next step is proving it against the best offenses on the schedule, particularly BYU, Miami and SMU. Then we break down a loaded secondary led by Leonard Moore, who Bryan believes belongs in the conversation as one of the two or three best players in college football. We also discuss Christian Gray, Adon Shuler, DJ McKinney and the tremendous young depth behind them. At linebacker, Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaylen Sneed and the rest of the rotation give Notre Dame another deep, versatile position group. Bryan explains why KVA’s ability to play multiple roles makes him especially dangerous and why the entire room should be even more comfortable in Chris Ash’s system this season. Finally, we turn to a defensive front featuring Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young and a wave of talented veterans and transfers. Bryan believes that if Traore and Young take another step, this group has a chance to become the driver of a championship defense. Leonard Moore. Elite depth. A loaded front seven. Is Notre Dame bringing a National Championship defense into 2026?