Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546555
16 SEPT. 19, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER JAMES W hen Armel Mukam spent early January in the transfer portal, the defensive tackle gained an even greater ap- preciation for Notre Dame. Mukam made visits to Georgia Tech, Virginia and Northwestern while still communicating with Notre Dame about a potential return. By Jan. 11, 10 days after his plan to enter the transfer por- tal first surfaced, Mukam chose to stick with the Irish for his senior season. "The biggest thing is just how special this university is, how special the coach- ing staff is, how special the locker room is," Mukam said of what he learned from visiting other programs. "You go on all these visits and you kind of realize, like, 'Whoa, Notre Dame truly is special.' "I spent three years here, and I didn't really have an understanding of how special it is. I kind of took it for granted. You come back here and then you visit other places, you kind of realize just how special Notre Dame truly is." Eight months later, Mukam seemingly made the right choice for himself, and the Irish are benefiting from it. After playing just 69 defensive snaps last season, he earned a starting role for the Irish in the season opener against Wisconsin Sept. 6. In a college football era that's become increasingly defined by players chasing opportunities elsewhere, Mukam's story of patience, hard work and belief provides a reminder of what still remains possible. "Being able to see him go out and make a meaningful contribution this year, it's going to be awesome to see," said AJ Calabro, Mukam's agent from Milk & Honey Sports. "He's put in so much work behind the scenes. Watch- ing it come full circle now, it's gonna be awesome, especially with the pedigree that Notre Dame's at heading into this season. Super cool." TESTING THE PORTAL Following Notre Dame's 2025 season, Mukam and Calabro started to discuss his options for the 2026 season. Cal- abro, a former walk-on defensive back at Syracuse who started working with Mukam after the 2024 season, sought out Notre Dame general manager Mike Martin's perspective on Mukam's out- look in the program. Those initial conversations led to Mu- kam, who tallied just 11 tackles in three seasons with the Irish, deciding to hit the transfer portal to evaluate his options. While Mukam went through the pro- cess of visiting other schools, an im- portant change at Notre Dame was in the works. Al Washington, who spent the past four seasons as defensive line coach, moved into the linebackers coach role (before later leaving to coach for the NFL's Miami Dolphins), and the Irish hired veteran coach Charlie Partridge to lead the defensive line. Before Partridge, who spent the previ- ous two seasons coaching the defensive line for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, ar- rived in South Bend, he started to watch LATE BLOOMER Senior defensive tackle Armel Mukam rises from transfer portal returnee to Notre Dame starter After playing only 69 defensive snaps in 2025, Mukam decided to enter the transfer portal. However, he changed his mind, returned to South Bend and earned a starting role for the Irish this fall. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER