Notre Dame’s 2026 Defense: Top Recruiting Picks Revealed

Notre Dame has been recruiting defense as well as any program in the country since

Marcus Freeman

arrived. The Irish staff is looking to land another big time class in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

Here are my rankings for the Notre Dame defensive class, followed by prospect bios and the upside rankings at the bottom. As new players are added to the class they will be added to this ranking.

2026 COMMITS – DEFENSE

1.

S Joey O’Brien

– 6-4, 185

2.

DE Rodney Dunham

– 6-4, 225

3.

CB Khary Adams

– 6-2, 180

4.

DE Ebenezer Ewetade

– 6-4, 225

5.

CB Ayden Pouncey

– 6-3, 175

6.

DT Tiki Hola

– 6-3, 300

7.

LB Thomas Davis Jr.

– 6-2, 210

8.

CB Chaston Smith

– 6-2, 175

9.

LB Jakobe Clapper

– 6-2, 200

COMMIT BIOS

1. JOEY O’BRIEN, SAFETY

Hometown/High School

: Philadelphia, Pa./LaSalle College

Height/Weight

: 6-4, 185

IB Grade

: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)

O’Brien was a top target for Notre Dame from the moment the focus turned to the 2026 class, so landing him was huge for the program. O’Brien is a very unique prospect that could start at and thrive at five different positions. He could play both cornerback positions, both safety positions and he could also play wide receiver. Notre Dame is recruiting O’Brien as a safety, and that is where his current upside is the highest. The LaSalle standout has truly elite length a 6-4 with very long arms, and his length is one of his greatest assets. O’Brien is also a very smooth, long-lived athlete that covers a lot of ground. He has impressive change of direction skills that allows him to plant and drive on the football with impressive speed, and he can get to the middle or play off the hash with great range. O’Brien is a heady football player that gets his hands on a lot of footballs, and his playmaking potential is what makes him such an elite prospect.

2. RODNEY DUNHAM, DEFENSIVE END

Hometown/High School

: Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park

Height/Weight

: 6-4, 225

IB Grade

: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)

Dunham is already one of the nation’s top prospects, but what should excite Fighting Irish fans is that he’s just scratching the surface of his full potential. Dunham has a unique blend of size, explosiveness, athleticism and instincts, which means he checks all the boxes that Notre Dame covets from its top prospects. At 6-4 and 225 pounds with impressive athletic skills, Dunham projects as an impact edge player for the Irish. With his frame he should be able to add plenty of weight and strength, and as he does his game will become even more dominant. Notre Dame wants/need a strong, stout, all-around end that can dominate the run and rush the passer, and Dunham has all the tools to get to that point during his college career. On top of the physical tools, Dunham shows an impressive football IQ for the position.

3. KHARY ADAMS, CORNERBACK

Hometown/High School

: Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield

Height/Weight

: 6-2, 180

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)

Adams is one of the most physically gifted players in this class, and when his technique starts to match his talent watch out. He continues a strong trend under Mike Mickens of long, rangy and instinctive cornerbacks. At 6-2 with long arms, Adams has elite length, and he knows how to use it. He’s a very difficult player to throw around, and he’s an instinctive cover player that shows a great feel for sticking to routes. He’s patient, trusts his skill and does a great job staying in phase on vertical routes. Adams has loose hips and can open and run with exceptional ease. I’m impressed with his ability to plant and drive when playing off coverage. Adams shows a high football IQ in coverage, and his combination of range, speed and change of direction also project well to playing more zone and off man coverage. Those traits fit well for the boundary position, but his ability to press and run project very well to the boundary.

4. EBENEZER EWETADE, DEFENSIVE END

Hometown/High School

: Garner, N.C./South Garner

Height/Weight

: 6-4, 225

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 5.0 (Top 35 caliber prospect)

Notre Dame got on Ewetade early and it paid off in a big way, as the Irish were able to beat some powers from the South to land this talented edge player. Ewetade is a long and athletic edge player, which was a priority for Notre Dame in this class. His pass rushing prowess comes from his combination of length, athleticism and top-level pass rushing ability. That makes him a great fit for Notre Dame’s Vyper position. He’s a pure edge player that can handle both phases of the game (run/pass) at a high level. Right now Ewetade is still on the thin side, but he has a quality frame that should allow him to fill out quite nicely. He’s a rangy athlete and is surprisingly effective against the run, but it’s his elite pass rushing potential that boosts his ranking. Despite being relatively raw, Ewetade was highly productive and shows an impact all-around game.

5. AYDEN POUNCEY, CORNERBACK

Hometown/High School

: Winter Park, Fla./High School

Height/Weight

: 6-3, 175

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Pouncey is listed by the national services as a safety, but he dominates as a cornerback in high school and that’s the position the Irish staff is recruiting him to play. At 6-3 he’s not your typical cornerback, but Notre Dame has proven it can thrive with long, tall cornerbacks. The key for Pouncey is that he has the cornerback traits that

Mike Mickens

wants at the position. On top of his length, Pouncey is an outstanding all-around athlete. He shows impressive downhill speed, easy change of direction skills and his long speed stands out as well. Pouncey is a smooth athlete with the feel for coverage you want in a cornerback. He’s on the thin side, but Pouncey is a willing tackler that packs a punch when he arrives at ball carriers. His frame is top notch and should allow him to fill out to around 200 pounds by the time his career is over. Pouncey is a versatile athlete that can thrive at safety if he doesn’t fit at cornerback, but Notre Dame really likes him as a cover corner.

6. TIKI HOLA, DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Hometown/High School

: Bastrop, Texas/Bastrop

Height/Weight

: 6-3, 300

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Notre Dame wanted to add impact beef to the middle of its defensive line with this class and Hola certainly gives the Irish that. He’s still young for his class, so expect Hola to keep filling out, and he’s also ready to around 300 pounds. Hola is an impact run defender already, having racked up over 100 tackles and 12 tackles for loss as a junior. He’s a thick, stout, strong young defender with top-notch length. His combination of size, length and power makes him a force at the point of attack, and his ability to get off blocks and get to the ball is impressive. When allowed to do so, Hola shows a good vertical burst off the line and good closing speed. Right now his game is all about dominating against the run, and his high school doesn’t ask him to run the quarterback a ton, but he’s got some tools there to be more effective in college. Hola has a motor that runs hot and he’s a smart football player with the tools to play early.

7. THOMAS DAVIS JR., LINEBACKER

Hometown/High School

: Matthews (N.C.) Weddington

Height/Weight

: 6-2, 210

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)

Davis is an outstanding all-around linebacker that very much fits the modern game. The first thing that stood out to me on film is how effective he is in coverage. Davis is a smart football player that makes very strong reads and he can bait quarterbacks into throwing the ball. His anticipation in coverage is outstanding and he gets his hands on a lot of footballs in coverage, and that part of his game projects to both Will and Rover in the Notre Dame defense. Davis is a smooth athlete that changes direction with ease and he can close downhill. Davis isn’t just a coverage linebacker, and he shows the projection to be an impact run defender as well. He shows good block destruction at the point of attack, he makes strong reads and he arrives at the football with good force. His closing speed is impressive and he’s a strong tackler in space. Davis doesn’t blitz a ton at the high school level but he has tools to be effective there.

8. CHASTON SMITH, CORNERBACK

Hometown/High School

: Chattanooga (Tenn.) McEachern

Height/Weight

: 6-2, 175

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 4.5 (Top 75 caliber prospect)

Notre Dame has shown an affinity for very tall, long cornerbacks in recent seasons and Smith certainly fits that mold. He’s a smooth and rangy field cornerback that can cover a lot of space. Notre Dame also likes high football IQ corners and Smith fits that as well. Smith shows the ability to play off man and he also is allowed to come up and press quite a bit. His route recognition is strong and he takes very good angles to the football when it’s in the air. He’s a smooth athlete that can flip his hips effectively and his plant-and-drive stands out as well. He’s not as fast as guys like Leonard Moore, Christian Gray and Cam Hart but he is plenty fast enough to be a strong man defender at the next level.

9. JAKOBE CLAPPER, LINEBACKER

Hometown/High School

: Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier

Height/Weight

: 6-2, 200

IB Grade

: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)

Upside Grade

: 4.0 (Top 150 caliber prospect)

Clapper is a highly productive player at one of the best programs in the state of Ohio. Being able to dominate against the competition that St. Xavier plays is impressive, and that’s what Clapper did as a junior when he was named All-Ohio after racking up over 100 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss. Clapper is an instinctive player that lines up all over the field for the Bombers. He’s ideally suited as an off ball linebacker, which is where he plays the most, but St. Xavier will also play him in the slot, on the edge in passing situations and even as a deep alley safety. He’s a quality athlete with impressive short-area quickness. Clapper is a high football IQ player that makes quick reads, which allows him to maximize the range and speed he does possess. He’s not an overly big player but he has good length and the frame to fill out enough to play at the next level. Despite being just 200 pounds, Clapper arrives at the football with a lot of power.

UPSIDE RANKING

1.

DE Ebenezer Ewetade

– 5.0

2.

DE Rodney Dunham

– 5.0

3.

S Joey O’Brien

– 5.0

4.

CB Khary Adams

– 5.0

5.

CB Ayden Pouncey

– 4.5

6.

DT Tiki Hola

– 4.5

7.

CB Chaston Smith

– 4.5

8.

LB Thomas Davis Jr.

– 4.5

9.

LB Jakobe Clapper

– 4.0

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Irish Breakdown Content

2025 Scholarship Chart


2025 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers

2025 Commit Rankings – Offense


2025 Commit Rankings – Defense

2024 Recruiting Class


2023 Recruiting Class


2022 Recruiting Class

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