Spring Preparations and Injury Updates
As Notre Dame’s football program moves toward the 2025 campaign, the linebacker corps is confronting both opportunity and adversity. While senior standout Jaiden Ausberry is slated to anchor the unit, the team must navigate the absence of key contributors Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who have been sidelined by hip and ACL surgeries respectively.
Leadership and Performance Goals
Coach Marcus Freeman has emphasized that Ausberry’s leadership will be pivotal, especially after the linebacker logged 437 defensive snaps last season and posted the highest missed‑tackle rate among his peers at 17.2 percent. Position coach Brian Jean‑Mary has called on Ausberry to sharpen his blitzing and coverage techniques, noting that the senior’s vocal presence in the locker room is already reshaping the group’s dynamics.
Depth and Special Teams Outlook
In the wake of Bowen’s and Viliamu-Asa’s injuries, players such as Jaylen Sneed and the emerging midyear enrollee Thomas Davis Jr. have been thrust into expanded roles. Madden Faraimo, who returned from wrist surgery late in the spring, is expected to serve as the primary backup to Bowen, while rotational depth provided by Teddy Rezac and the Kia brothers — Kahanu and Ko’o — offers additional flexibility on defense and special teams.
Freeman remains optimistic that Viliamu-Asa could accelerate his recovery timeline, potentially returning ahead of schedule. The coaching staff believes that the combination of experienced holdovers and fresh talent will allow the defense to maintain its aggressive identity, even as it adapts to new personnel. Special teams also present a pathway for early impact, with several newcomers eyeing roster spots through coverage and return units.