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Newsstand: Does Notre Dame have a top-10 DL in the nation for 2024?

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•05/14/24•

MikeTSinger

Throughout the dog days of May, On3’s Jesse Simonton has been giving his takes on who has the best position groups in the country, with a top 10 at each spot.

For the defensive line and edge units, Notre Dame checks in with the No. 7 group in the country. Ahead of the Irish per Simonton are Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Oregon, Clemson and Ole Miss, respectively. Florida State, Tennessee and Penn State round out the top 10 behind Notre Dame.

“If not for Michigan’s dynamic duo inside, the Irish’s two tackle/ends Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills could give any other tandem a run for their money in 2024,” wrote Simonton. “The two seniors are major disrupters inside — both as pass rushers and run-stoppers. They’re undersized (both are just shy of 300 pounds) but they cause all sorts of havoc (52 run stops, per PFF, most among all duos). 

“Notre Dame brought in Duke end/pass rusher RJ Oben, who had 9.5 sacks the last two season, but Josh Burnham had a big spring and will vie for real snaps this fall, too. The Irish have a rotation of veteran bodies at their “VYPER” but former blue-chip underclassmen Boubacar Tratore is a name to know — perhaps sooner than later.”

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Quote of the day

“The respect that Notre Dame gains has them on my list. Great people go there and when they leave, they have a lot of respect given to them. It is a great school academically too and it would prepare me for life after football.”

— Four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo on his Fighting Irish interest

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