In a college football season, 56 days is the equivalent of a couple of lifetimes. On Sept. 20, after surviving a 56-30 offensive shootout against a now 2-9 Purdue team for its first win of the season, the idea that Notre Dame could have a pass defense on par with last year’s national championship runner-up bordered on ludicrous. The Irish fanbase longed for the not-so-distant days of defensive coordinator Al Golden and two-time All-American safety Xavier Watts, who both departed for the NFL after last season’s Playoff drive.
After the Purdue game, the Irish stood at 1-2 due mainly to a pass defense that appeared the mirror opposite of last year’s dominant unit. In the first trio of games against Miami, Texas A&M and the Boilermakers, the Irish allowed seven touchdowns, 289 yards per game and 8.1 yards per attempt through the air. The challenge to establish even a credible hindrance to future opponents appeared extremely daunting, especially given the Irish still needed to face a collection of highly-regarded opponent signal-callers, including Arkansas’ Taylen Green, NC State’s CJ Bailey and USC’s Jayden Maiava.
On Nov. 15, the Irish dismantled a confident and upset-minded No. 22 Pitt team 37-15. Entering the game with a surging offense led by highly-touted freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, Pitt found offensive life almost impossible to generate, especially through the air. The Irish pass defense, most notably its secondary, questioned just weeks ago, now may be even better than the vaunted 2024 unit headlined by Watts and freshman stalwarts cornerback Leonard Moore and strong safety Adon Shuler.
In their last seven matchups since the Purdue contest, the Irish have limited opponents to only five touchdowns (0.7 per game), 196 yards per game and 5.8 yards per attempt via the air, which compares favorably or bests last season’s results. Plus, this year’s team is creating more big plays than 2024, as it has intercepted 17 passes this season, including 14 since the Boilermakers. Prior to the Pitt matchup, the Irish ranked third in the country in interceptions per game.
The secondary’s performance against the Panthers on Saturday punctuated the rapid turnaround, as all five starting defensive backs helped limit Heintschel to 126 yards on 16-of-33 passing with no touchdowns. He also threw an interception on a quick-hitch pass that emerging star freshman free safety Tae Johnson expertly read and returned 49 yards for an Irish touchdown in the first quarter.
While Johnson does not yet possess significant experience, he undoubtedly appears to be the next potential star in a long line of standout Irish safeties, which includes Harrison Smith, Kyle Hamilton, Alohi Gilman and Watts.
“It’s because of the work, because he knows he’s gifted,” head coach Marcus Freeman said of Johnson on Saturday. “He’s making plays for us, man. He is an extremely talented football player that is just getting better.”
Plus, Johnson is not alone. Shuler has built on a freshman All-American campaign in 2024 and has become a consistent force every Saturday. As a captain of both the team and the secondary, Shuler consistently makes his presence felt with big hits, the ability to create turnovers and his leadership.
“He definitely makes me a better player,” Johnson said before the Nov. 1 Boston College game. “I’m basically in the same position he was last year. It’s basically just another mentor for me … another coach, to be honest.”
Against the Panthers, Shuler broke up a perfectly-placed pass by Heintschel intended for wide receiver Cataurus Hicks at the Notre Dame 20 with a big hit — a key play to stop Pitt’s initial drive of the game. He didn’t stop there. Shuler later sacked Heintschel and then picked off his two-point conversion attempt in the middle of the end zone and scored on a momentum-killing return.
Johnson and Shuler form an athletic safety duo, and the cornerbacks are just as imposing. Moore, named a Lott Impact Trophy semifinalist last week, likely will be named a First Team All-American, and junior Christian Gray and senior nickelback DeVonta Smith played extremely well and appeared fully healthy against the Panthers after battling injuries over the last several weeks.
With the Irish poised for another potential Playoff berth and national title run, the early concerns about the pass defense and specifically the secondary have been replaced with confidence. It’s proven it can excel like last year in high-pressure elimination games against elite passing offenses like USC and Pitt.
“That’s a type of team and defense that I wanted to play for,” Johnson said. “We’re all playing just to be our best, and I feel like if we come out with that swagger and that confidence every game, you know, we’ll be hard to beat.”
On Saturday, Notre Dame appeared primed for another Playoff run that seemed nearly impossible in late September due in large part to Johnson, Shuler and company.
