Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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26 FEBRUARY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Rubio was Notre Dame's best defen- sive tackle through the first six games and gave the Irish strength and tough- ness on the interior. 16. NB DEVONTA SMITH Injuries to Smith's right ankle and calf didn't allow him to live up to preseason hype and carry along Notre Dame's grad- uate transfer tradition at the nickel back position. He finally started to look like the expected version of himself late in the season, but his eight games of pro- duction — 20 stops, 1 tackle for loss, 3 passes broken up and 1 fumble recovery — weren't enough to be ranked this high. Smith was certainly better than soph- omore Karson Hobbs but freshman Dal- las Golden showed potential in replac- ing Smith. 15. DE BRYCE YOUNG This turned out to be a level-headed projection for Young. Though some ex- pected him to have a massive breakout season as a sophomore, he proved to be a bit further from maximizing his full potential. He started just one game but played a lot in all 12 games, and tallied 20 tack- les, 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries and 3 passes broken up. However, Young finished second on the team in pres- sures (28), per PFF, so he was making his presence felt with less box score production. 14. LB KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA Viliamu-Asa should have been even higher in our top 25. Even though he shared time at linebacker, he proved to be one of Notre Dame's top defenders in his sophomore season. His versatility is evident in his pro- duction: 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries, 1 inter- ception, 2 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. A left knee injury ended Vil- iamu-Asa's season after 11 games, but hopefully it won't impact his 2026 sea- son much. 13. OG BILLY SCHRAUTH Schrauth may have played the best game of his career in Notre Dame's 34-24 victory over Southern Cal. It also turned out to be his last in an Irish uni- form due to a left knee injury he suffered in the game. Schrauth, who dealt with ankle issues as a 12-game starter in 2024, proved to be the Irish's best offensive lineman in 2025. He opted to enter the 2026 NFL Draft following his redshirt junior sea- son. He deserved to be higher on this list. 12. CB CHRISTIAN GRAY Gray didn't become any less polar- izing in his junior season. He gave up more receptions and receiving yards than any of Notre Dame's defensive backs, but he also made key plays with a pair of interceptions and a team-high 11 passes broken up. He missed two games with a left hip injury that likely impacted his play be- fore the Irish sidelined him against Bos- ton College and Navy. Freshman cor- nerback Mark Zackery IV was Gray's primary replacement, but he had strug- gles of his own this season. 11. OT ANTHONIE KNAPP Knapp struggled in the season opener at Miami, which gave his doubters more reasons to suggest he should move to the interior, but he rebounded well from the poor start. By season's end, he might have been Notre Dame's most reliable lineman still in the starting lineup. The sophomore started all 12 games at left tackle and provided a strong presence in the run game. Knapp tied Craig in allowing a team-high 9 pres- sures, per PFF, but he only allowed 6 pressures in the final nine games after giving up his lone sack of the season against Purdue. 10. TE ELI RARIDON An argument can be made that Rari- don should have been higher on the list given the gap behind him at tight end. He used his senior season to start to look like the tight end many envisioned him becoming before a couple of ACL inju- ries earlier in his career. Raridon finished third on the team in receptions (32) and receiving yards (482) and became an important blocker in Notre Dame's rushing attack. 9. OT AAMIL WAGNER Wagner was a constant for Notre Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa recorded 48 total stops, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries, 1 interception, 2 passes broken up and 1 fumble recovery in 11 games. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER