Notre Dame fell short last year of winning a National Championship, and that is something that the coaching staff and that team will never forget. For the guys that have returned, they are coming in with a chip on their shoulder, and for the defense, they are coming in with an even bigger chip on their shoulder.
When speaking to the media, Notre Dame defensive lineman Donovan Hinish had an interesting name for the guys on the Notre Dame defense. During the championship game, the defense took a lot of heat for simply not being able to stop the high-flying Ohio State offense, and this season, they want to come in and show that everyone is discounting them.
"A bunch of misfits," Hinish said. "Everyone on that defense had been counted out or looked down upon, all of us have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder."
"A bunch of misfits. Everyone on that defense has been counted out or looked down upon. All of us have a little bit of a chip on our shoulder." - DL Donovan Hinish on Notre Dame's defensive identity pic.twitter.com/dIvYNEXiOW
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) August 6, 2025
Notre Dame's secondary last season certainly was the highlight of that side of the ball, but Marcus Freeman, while he is also focusing on the quarterback battle, is making sure the defense as a whole is stronger. It seems crazy that people are doubting the Notre Dame defense as they were ranked No. 5 last season, but the Buckeyes really exposed a lot of holes against the Fighting Irish.
Going into this season, again, the whole team has a chip on its shoulder, but the defense really wants to come in and show they're better than they were in the National Championship.
For some reason, having people doubt you really just lights a fire inside, and that is exactly what is happening for Notre Dame right now. A lot of people don't believe this defense can be any good, but calling themselves the "misfits" shows this team is hearing what is being said and is just storing it away and using it as fuel for this season.