Marcus Freeman wasn’t sure about Notre Dame’s interior defensive line entering fall camp, he admitted during his weekly press conference Tuesday afternoon.

In fact, that was the biggest question mark he had about his roster. But his defensive tackles answered that question, and then some, in preseason practice.

“[It] has given me the most conviction of a position group as any on our team,” Freeman said. “There are multiple guys in that room that are gonna play, and have played and practiced as well as any position in fall camp.”

Freeman also loves Notre Dame’s edge rushers, who go six strong now that sixth-year defensive end Jordan Botelho will be available for Week 1. His “conviction,” as he described it, runs deep. And if he’s right, the Irish have significantly improved their chances Sunday’s season opener at Miami.

Freeman expects ‘big things’ out of DTs, led by Jason Onye and Donovan Hinish

Freeman has said several times this offseason that replacing Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III can’t be done with just two players. He has more than acknowledged what they meant to the program.

That makes what he said about Onye, who beat out fellow redshirt senior Gabriel Rubio to start at three-technique defensive tackle, so striking.

“He’s playing as well at that position as anybody I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Freeman said. “That’s a high compliment for him, but that’s a credit to the work he’s put in.”

Freeman’s praise for Hinish, who held off sixth-year Louisville transfer Jared Dawson for the nose tackle spot, was also noteworthy.

Hinish was named a captain for the Irish, just like his brother, Kurt, was in 2021. Kurt Hinish, now in his fourth year with the Houston Texans, was a great player at Notre Dame in his own right. But the younger Hinish is forcing Freeman to reconsider their pecking order.

“Don’t tell Kurt I said this, but Donnie’s making me forget about the older 41 — which is what Kurt would want,” Freeman said. “Kurt would want that. Donnie’s practicing as well as anybody.”

Freeman also said Rubio and Dawson, who will rotate heavily behind Onye and Hinish, have had good camps. In particular, he said Dawson has grown tremendously since his first practice this spring.

“I speak with a lot of confidence when I talk about that defensive tackle group,” Freeman said. “I think we’re going to see some big things out of them.”

Big, powerful Bryce Young earns starting spot

Young has gotten physically bigger, Freeman confirmed — but it’s not like that needed confirmation. The sophomore is 6-foot-7, 271 pounds and he looks every bit of that on the practice field.

“He’s got good genetics,” Freeman said, laughing. Young’s dad, Bryant Young, is a Hall of Fame defensive lineman.

But his ascension to the starting lineup, which the Irish laid out in Tuesday’s depth chart, came from his ability to use that size to his advantage.

“What you’ve seen him over training camp is really handle his weight and use it the right way with power, as a powerful football player,” Freeman said. “He’s not just an edge rusher, he’s now really enhanced his game to be a complete defensive end in the run and the pass game.”

Alongside redshirt sophomore defensive end Boubacar Traore, Young forms one of the most physically formidable edge rusher tandems in college football. And he’s just getting started.

“He’s getting better,” Freeman said. “He’s a guy that came in as a freshman and was really freaking good, and he’s getting better.”

Why Notre Dame needs its defensive line more than ever at Miami

Most quarterbacks’ numbers suffer when pressured, but the disparity is more pronounced than most for Miami signal-caller Carson Beck.

In 2024 with Georgia, Beck produced a 91.5 PFF offense grade when kept clean and just 38.6 percent when pressured. Out of 84 qualified quarterbacks, the former ranked seventh and the latter ranked 82nd.

Notre Dame has a great deal of respect for Beck in general, as Freeman explained Tuesday.

“You got Carson Beck, who is experienced, talented, played in big games,” Freeman said. “We obviously evaluated him tremendously last year as we got ready for Georgia, and he is an extremely good quarterback.”

The formula to beat any good quarterback, but especially one whose performance dips as much as Beck’s does under pressure, is to get pressure with the front four. Notre Dame would be in trouble late last season, with no Traore (knee), no Onye and much less formidable versions of Young and Hinish.

Come Sunday, though, Irish fans might start believing in monsters.

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