Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 DECEMBER 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED T here is an undeniable talent element to why the "next man in" mantra works as a lifestyle in the Notre Dame football program instead of a yearning. Not that the Irish didn't miss the ver- satility and violence on the field of line- backer Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa as they finished off the regular season Nov. 29 in the injured sophomore's home state of California against Stanford. Or will miss him in whatever the post- season looks like or how long it lasts for an Irish team aspiring to another four-game College Football Playoff run for the sec- ond year in a row. But his presence is still being felt be- cause of the impact he had on those around him, particularly freshman line- backer Madden Faraimo, a youth football teammate of KVA's back in their middle school days on a team called the OG Ducks in the Inland Empire area of California. "Then in high school we played [against] each other," Faraimo said after practice last week heading into the reg- ular-season finale in Palo Alto. "Crossed paths, nothing really too in-depth until I started getting recruited to Notre Dame. We started having a lot of conversa- tions, and he would reach out whenever I needed to talk. I could ask him any ques- tions, so our relationship really grew then. "When I got here, he's just been a huge piece of me being comfortable at Notre Dame and me trying to fit in and get my feet underneath me." And thriving. In Notre Dame's 70-7 mauling of Syra- cuse Nov. 22, the game in which Viliamu- Asa exited in the first half with the injury, Faraimo went on to have the best game of his career to date — a career-high 5 tackles, his first 2 tackles for loss with his first sack. Viliamu-Asa played 29 snaps and Fara- imo 28, and they had nearly identical out- standing film grades from Pro Football Focus, 78.0 and 76.4, respectively. This is how you move on when you lose a star player, as the Irish did at so many junctures last season. Cornerback Ben- jamin Morrison, defensive tackle Rylie Mills, center Ashton Craig, defensive ends Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore, to name a handful. It's roster management — recruit- ing the right players, retaining the right players. At no time through the Tyrone Willingham, Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly regimes, covering 20 seasons, could the Irish have lost a top-70 Rivals na- tional recruit at the linebacker position and then had another one on the roster to make up for that. On this team, there are three of them — Faraimo, junior Drayk Bowen and red- shirt junior Jaylen Sneed. They're all part of the solution, as is redshirt sophomore Jaiden Ausberry and a great comeback story in his own right, redshirt sopho- more Kahanu Kia. It's also the team glory buy-in — play- ers who accept their roles and don't wait to work until they get their opportunity. They work so that they're ready for their opportunity when it arrives. It's passed down from class to class and player to player. This is what culture looks like, at least at coach Marcus Free- man's Notre Dame. "He's a big leader-by-example kind of guy," Faraimo offered of Viliamu-Asa. "So, I see it every day. He comes in early. He's always here late, of course, in the film room and off the field. In the class- room, he really handles his business, so I think it's just an overall life perspective that Kyngstonn has that I learned from. So, I think it's special." And when Viliamu-Asa returns in 2026 for his junior season, he'll jump right back into that ascending career arc, maybe better than ever. "Kyng's down," Faraimo said, "and with anyone, that's terrible news to hear. But especially, Kyngstonn's such a great person on and off the field, so that's dev- astating news. "He's not going anywhere. He's going to be the leader he is on the team. He's going to be right there with us. It's an emotional time, but Kyngstonn's right there. He's going to be the rock he's been for us." And that's why replacing 48 tackles, including a team-leading 7.5 for loss with 3 sacks, 1 interception, 2 passes broken up, 5 QB hurries and 1 fumble recovery isn't as daunting as it could be. Because of who Kyngstonn Viliamu- Asa is behind the numbers, and who Madden Faraimo is becoming in part because of it. And keep in mind, Notre Dame's No. 2-rated defensive player be- hind only All-America cornerback Leon- ard Moore, played in a five-man rotation and unselfishly came in as a reserve this season in all but one game. "You're going to have to learn to be selfless and put others in front of your- self," Freeman said. "It's one of the great- est traits a person can have." ✦ Linebacker Madden Faraimo (right) and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (left) were youth football teammates in middle school, played against each other in high school and are now teaming up together at Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Why 'Next Man In' Just Means More At Notre Dame Eric Hansen covers Notre Dame athletics for On3, with a focus on Irish football. He can be reached on X @ EHansenND THE DEEP READ ERIC HANSEN