Earlier this month, Armel Mukam's story was one of hope. Now that he’s starting for the Notre Dame football team against Wisconsin, it’s a story of redemption.
Mukam worked hard trying to gain the trust of defensive line coach Charlie Partridge after first entering the Transfer Portal and then coming back to South Bend once Partridge was hired. Why did he come back? The way Mukam put it, he did a bit of research on Google and realized Partridge was a guy who could help him take the next step and maybe even get a ton of playing time in 2026. Now, Mukam could be starting all season, depending on what he does with this Week 1 shot.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman explained that the trust the two men have in one another led to the veteran defensive lineman’s name landing on the top of the depth chart.
“It’s a reflection of that relationship,” Freeman said Monday during his first Week 1 press conference. “His ability to grasp the information from Coach Partridge and put in the work, and Coach Partridge's trust that he’s earned from Armel to really absorb that information and go out and put in the work.”
Notre Dame football's decision to bring Armel Mukam back is already paying off
That work wasn’t just about how hard he tried during camp. Freeman said Mukam spent the offseason eating, sleeping and studying in Notre Dame’s facilities. The work he put in clearly paid off. While the Irish will rotate heavily on their interior defensive line, Mukam beat out two high-profile transfer additions in Francis Brewu (Pitt) and Tionne Gray (Oregon).
The better news is that Brewu and Gray didn't stand out as having particularly bad camps. Brewu especially seemed like the frontrunner for the job just last week. There was talk that Mukam could compete for field time, but taking the starting job was a longer shot, if not totally impossible.
The most newsworthy part of Mukam winning the job is that he won the job. Other high-profile position battles saw the Irish coaches hedge a bit with an “OR” between player names. Mukam’s got the starting job, and it’s his to lose as he spends Saturday lining up opposite sixth-year returning starter Jason Onye. Mukam will start for Notre Dame, and he’ll help anchor an interior defensive line that the Irish expect to be very good.
“I’m proud of him,” Freeman said. “I’m grateful that he’s here in our program. He’s done a terrific job since he’s been back, and he’ll continue to ascend because of the work he puts into it.”
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