Nothing given: How Adon Shuler brings ‘Irvington Tough’ to Notre Dame defense

Ashley Pierre, known to Adon Shuler and the rest of the Irvington, N.J., community as “Coach Smoke,” recognized Shuler’s forced fumble on Georgia running back Trevor Etienne in the Sugar Bowl because he’d seen it before.

Not the exact play, to be clear. Only Shuler’s Notre Dame coaches and teammates had seen it, because as the sophomore safety told his old high school coach at Irvington High after the game, the Irish had practiced the blitz that led to it earlier in the week.

“I just told him, he needed to wrap that guy up,” Pierre joked. “That guy’s gotta fall next time.”

Pierre had seen Shuler make the same kind of play when he played for him at Irvington: a pivotal, game-changing play in a monumental game. He thought back to Shuler’s 45-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 2021 state championship game, in which the Blue Knights defeated Northern Highlands for their first-ever title.

“He was able to take a punt return back to the house after getting hit about four or five times, making some third-down stops and just coming down from 12 yards deep, striking and just killing,” Pierre said.

When he watched Shuler’s prolific 2024 season at Notre Dame, Pierre felt like he was inside his former player’s head. He understood the kind of mindset Shuler played with. His dad, Don Shuler, has a Tasmanian devil tattoo from when he starred for Irvington as a 1996 graduate, because he played the same way.

“I think one of the [Michael] Jordan quotes was he hates losing more than he likes winning,” Don Shuler said. “He kind of has that mentality.”

That’s a mentality, the Shulers will tell you, that you have to have in New Jersey’s inner city. He became a core player at Notre Dame by bringing it with him to South Bend.

“We go by ‘Irvington tough,’” Adon Shuler said. “I just feel like I have to continue to have that no matter where I’m at.”

Nothing given

Don Shuler has lived in Irvington his entire life, and he understands the challenges that come with growing up there.

“Nothing is given to any of us, especially the kids,” the elder Shuler said. “Basically, everything you get, you have to earn.”

The education system, Don Shuler explained, is not as robust as the well-known private schools to the north. They don’t always have the best equipment for sports, despite a strong football culture. The environment also produces distractions for kids, even though Don Shuler said it has gotten better since he grew up.

“A lot of these kids have to fend for themselves, not necessarily because they want to, but because their parents have to work a lot of hours,” Don Shuler said. “It’s definitely a gritty environment. Not everybody can survive, especially if you don’t have a village surrounding the kids.”

Fortunately for the young Adon, he had a village. He grew up with uncles, aunts, grandparents and, of course, Don and his wife (Adon’s mom) Fran. He was smart, too. And he embraced the “Irvington Tough” moniker that Pierre, now the defensive coordinator at Farleigh Dickinson, created with the Blue Knights.

“It came from, regardless of what the circumstance is, you just gotta go and figure out how to overcome it,” Pierre said. “I think the toughness piece is that you gotta be mentally, physically tough in order to overcome it. Regardless of what your situation is, you can’t cry about living in poverty. … You can’t cry about having nothing.”

Pierre would also make sure to schedule Irvington against the Bergen Catholics and St. Peter’s Preps of the world, so that his players would get noticed by college evaluators. Don Shuler said he helped change the narrative about public schools in New Jersey, even though Irvington has had college and NFL-level talent for years.

That, Don Shuler said, is how Adon initially got noticed. He committed to Notre Dame extremely early, the August before his junior season. Even as his offer list grew post-commitment, he stuck with the Irish and he stuck with the attitude that got him there.

“I think he carries it the right way,” Pierre said. “He understands that he has to be confident, but be humble.”

Why Shuler was what Notre Dame needed

Even ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Chris Fowler might not have known how perfect the nickname he gave Shuler was.

In his first career start, the sophomore played single-high coverage and put himself in position to intercept an overthrow from Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman in College Station. As Shuler ran toward the Aggies’ end zone, Fowler said, “Tough Jersey kid!”

Shuler would play like one all season.

“He doesn’t flinch,” Don Shuler said. “No matter the guys who are lined up against him, or whoever’s an All-American, or the size of a running back, a 6-6, 6-7 tight end, he doesn’t flinch.

“He brings that confidence. Not cocky, just confidence in his spirit and his abilities.”

Shuler finished the year with 59 tackles, 3 interceptions (including a 36-yard pick six in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech), 5 passes defended, that forced fumble against Georgia and a fumble recovered in his home state against Navy.

More to the point, though, he added an edge to the Irish defense.

“I think that’s kind of what Notre Dame needed,” Pierre said. “Getting an inner-city kid like him from a public school was kind of different, and I think it kind of helped the guys overall on defense.”

Back in Irvington, Shuler has been committed to giving back to the place that raised him. According to Scholastic, Shuler is minoring in real estate and he hopes to use that to renovate parts of his hometown.

“When I’m home, my mom and I always watch a house flipper or building show on HGTV,” Shuler told Scholastic. “With my real estate minor, my plan is to rebuild my community from the ground up.”

His passion for the community largely comes from his parents.

“We always were into giving back, no matter what it may be,” Don Shuler said. “My wife has fed the homeless, things like that. Adon has done it as well, done it and experienced it because we see what goes on in the community and we’re in a position to help.”

A week before Shuler began fall camp last season — during which he won the starting safety job opposite Xavier Watts — he spoke at the Irvington Golden Knights youth program. His dad has coached youth football in Irvington since the late 1990s.

The next generation of tough Jersey kids sat and listened, looking up to the soon-to-be breakout star.