Historically, Notre Dame has dominated on both sides of the ball, but as is often the case in college football, the best defensive players in Notre Dame history have been somewhat overlooked compared to their offensive counterparts.
Defense, as the old saying goes, wins championships. And critical to any good defense is a fearsome pass rush. Over the years, many excellent pass rushers have passed through South Bend on their way to the NFL, including Hall of Famers and All-Americans.
But which Fighting Irish players have been the most productive in sacking opposing quarterbacks? Below are Notre Dame’s top 10 all-time leaders in sacks.
An important footnote is that, prior to 1982, sacks were not an officially recorded statistic, meaning previous players are not listed on this list. So, in a more modern era of college football…
The young people had 18.0 sacks during a decorated four-year career at Notre Dame, where he was named an All-American as a senior. As an inside defensive tackle, Young was prolific in getting to the quarterback in both college and the NFL, leading to his Hall of Fame induction in 2022.
Roberts had 19.0 During a tumultuous tenure at Notre Dame, he dealt with injuries early on before rebounding and avoiding injuries later on. In 2001 and 2002, he had 14 sacks, eight of them in his final season.
Shembo had 19.5 During his time at Notre Dame, he recorded 7.5 sacks from the inside linebacker position. His most statistically productive season was in 2012, when he accumulated 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Wynn also had 19.5 sacks while at Notre Dame. His early years were spent primarily as a linebacker, while he switched to defensive end toward the end of his Irish career and immediately had a greater impact on the opposing quarterback. In 1996, he had nine sacks and was named team MVP.
Gann recorded 21.0 captures during his stay at Notre Dame, which coincided with the birth of the official capture statistics. The lineman was a second-team All American in 1984 and had a solid nine-year career in the NFL.
Tweet put 21.5 sacks while at Notre Dame. He was especially dominant in his sophomore season in 2012, with his 12 catches placing him second in school history for a year and earning him All-American honors. He was an All-American again in 2013 before moving on to the NFL.
Like Tuitt, Abiamiri had 21.5 sacks during his Notre Dame career. The highly touted recruit out of Baltimore played all four years for the Irish, with eight sacks in 2005 and 10.5 in 2006. His four sacks in a 2005 game against Stanford are still tied for first in school history.
Minor finished his career at Notre Dame with 22.5 sacks. The outside linebacker made an impact all over the field, as he recorded five interceptions during his time with the Irish.
Tuck had 24.5 sacks throughout his remarkable career at Notre Dame, setting the since-broken school record. His 13.5 sacks in 2003 set the school record, and he racked up multiple 4-sack games, one in 2002 against Pitt and another in 2003 against Stanford. Tuck would go on to have a distinguished NFL career, with multiple Super Bowls and Pro Bowls to his credit.
Foskey holds the Notre Dame school record with 26.5 catches throughout his career. Foskey recorded consecutive 11-sack seasons in 2021 and 2022, making him the only player in Notre Dame history to have multiple double-digit sack seasons. He is the only current NFL player on this list.
– Notre Dame football: All-time leading passing players
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