The news that Notre Dame football fans have been worrying about since Saturday night has arrived. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa suffered a serious injury on Saturday night. In fact, it was severe enough that he'll now miss the rest of the season.
The school made the announcement official on Sunday, announcing both he and backup cornerback Chance Tucker are out for the year. The linebacker, referred to lovingly as KVA, hurt his knee. Tucker injured his tibia.
Notre Dame onlookers spotted Viliamu-Asa on the sideline and out of uniform in the second half. In the first half, he recorded 2 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries. His last recorded statistic was a QB hurry on first down with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter. It is unclear when the injury occurred. However, there are theories about exactly when it happened based on fans noticing he limped to the sideline and collapsed to the ground.
Injury Update following the Syracuse Game:
— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) November 23, 2025
LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (left knee) - out for the season
CB Chance Tucker (left tibia) - out for the season
Notre Dame linebacker out for the year with knee injury
Entering Saturday's game, Viliamu-Asa had been Notre Dame's top defender. Pro Football Focus gave him an 87.2 grade, ranking fourth in all of college football among Power 4 linebackers. In the first 10 games, he totaled 46 tackles and a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss. KVA also added 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
The defender's loss won't be all that big in Notre Dame's final game of the regular season against Stanford. They should be able to beat the Cardinal without him. However, his presence will definitely be met if and when the Irish make the playoffs.