Transfer tracker: Former Notre Dame DL Aiden Gobaira proves he's an elite run defender in Week 14

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Aiden Gobaira has been a key part of James Madison’s rise to the nation’s No. 5 run defense in the regular season.

Per Pro Football Focus, Gobaira’s 83.2 run-defense grade ranks third on the Dukes’ defense and is tied for 19th among 519 edge defenders nationwide. He has totaled 19 run stops — defined as a play that results in an offensive failure — which also ranks third on the team. His performance last week only strengthened those numbers.

Gobaira was one of nine former Notre Dame players who transferred last offseason and saw action in Week 14. Here’s how they performed.

Note: Players are listed alphabetically, and all games were played from Nov. 28-29.

QB Steve Angeli | Syracuse (3-9): Before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury Sept. 20 vs. Clemson, Angeli threw for 1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 98-156 passes with only 2 interceptions in four games.

OL Ty Chan | Connecticut (9-3): Appeared in all 12 regular-season games for the Huskies, starting in 7 (6 at right guard and 1 at left guard). Chan surrendered 11 quarterback pressures in 274 pass-blocking snaps. His PFF run-blocking grade of 66.6 ranked 34th among 192 qualifying Group of Five guards, and his pass-blocking grade of 70.4 was 72nd.

WR Deion Colzie | Miami Ohio (7-5): Caught 2 passes for 20 yards despite playing only 7 offensive snaps in a 45-24 win over Ball State (4-8).

OL Pat Coogan | No. 2 Indiana (12-0): Posted his lowest PFF grade of the season (50.4) in a 56-3 win over Purdue (2-10). Coogan didn’t allow a sack in his 12th start at center for the Hoosiers, but did commit a penalty in the run game.

DL Tyson Ford | California (7-5): Played 7 defensive snaps but didn’t record any stats in a 38-35 win over SMU (7-5).

EDGE Aiden Gobaira | James Madison (11-1): Recorded 5 tackles, all solo, in 38 defensive snaps in a 59-10 win over Coastal Carolina (6-6). PFF credited him with a quarterback hit, a quarterback hurry and 4 run stops. His 84.2 run-defense grade tied for third among all FBS edge rushers. Gobaira also assisted on all special teams units.

CB Jaden Mickey | Boise State (8-4): Collected 3 solo tackles in his seventh straight start, a 25-24 win over Utah State (6-6). Mickey played a season-high 65 of 71 snaps and totaled 2 quarterback hurries and a quarterback hit. He allowed 2 catches for 26 yards and contributed on punt coverage and field goal block.

OL Sam Pendleton | No. 19 Tennessee (8-4): Started his 12th game at center and played all 79 offensive snaps in a 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt (10-2). On middle-right and middle-left runs, which he was primarily responsible for, Tennessee rushers gained 46 yards and 1 touchdown on 10 carries (4.6 yards per carry). Pendleton also allowed a quarterback hurry.

OL Rocco Spindler | Nebraska (7-5): Started his 12th game at right guard in a 40-16 loss to Iowa (8-4). His PFF pass-blocking grade of 55.8 was his lowest of the season after allowing a quarterback hurry in 27 pass-blocking snaps.

WR Jayden Thomas | No. 18 Virginia (10-2): Has not played since Nov. 1 against Virginia and was spotted using a medical scooter before the Wake Forest game on Nov. 8. Virginia beat Virginia Tech (3-9) 27-7.

LB Kennedy Urlacher | No. 17 USC (9-3): Started at strong safety for the second straight week, registering 5 solo tackles in a 29-10 win over UCLA (3-9). In 43 coverage snaps, he allowed 5 catches for 36 yards on 6 targets. He also had a run stop in 15 run-defense snaps and played on kick return, punt coverage, punt return and field goal block.

DE Andrew Yanoshak | Dayton (7-4): The former Notre Dame tight end turned defensive lineman recorded 13 tackles (8 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry on the season for the Flyers (7-4).

K Zac Yoakam | Houston (9-3): Handled kickoff duties all season for the Cougars, producing touchbacks on 4 of 6 kicks in a 31-24 win over Baylor (9-3).