Notre Dame’s Biggest Defensive & Special Teams Position Battles This Offseason

Notre Dame football spring practice is a month away, and the Irish have several critical defensive position battles that will determine roles, rotations, and the overall ceiling of the defense in 2026, including nickel, defensive tackle, will linebacker, and kicker. Tyler Wojciak breaks down the most important defensive position battles to watch this offseason, explains why the nickel position is essentially a starting role, analyzes the interior defensive line rotation and will linebacker competition, and closes with why stability at kicker matters more than star power for a championship-caliber defense.