Soon after Chris Ash took the defensive coordinator job at Notre Dame, he met with Jason who.
That was in early February. Onye had been away from the team for personal reasons since early October. The public did not — and still does not — know the specifics of Onye’s absence, so naturally, Ash didn’t either. But when they met one-on-one, the embattled defensive tackle told him everything.
“Right away, I was really impressed that he was willing to open up and tell me what he’s gone through to get back to where he’s at right now,” Ash said.
At the time, it was uncertain whether Onye would ever put on a blue-and-gold uniform ever again. The Irish acquired two defensive tackles in the transfer portal, indicating they were preparing for life without him.
Nearly seven month later, we know that Onye will play for Notre Dame when the Irish visit Miami on Aug. 31. Not only that, but the redshirt senior had been running with the first-team defense at three-technique defensive tackle when reporters most recently attended fall camp practice.
Onye is a tremendous comeback story, to be clear. But in his final season in South Bend, he has a chance to be much more than that.
“He’s had as good of a camp as I’ve seen in my four years,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said. “He’s just a reminder of development. Not everybody’s going to come in here and be an All-American as a freshman. If you believe in them and work with them, they can develop into something really good.”
‘An impressive transformation’
Forget everything that’s happened off the field, and Onye’s ascent to a starting-caliber defensive tackle is still impressive.
He’s always shown flashes of greatness, particularly as a pass rusher. In his final three games of 2024, he totaled 10 quarterback pressures. Coaches constantly lauded the strides he made. And yet, when the games started, consistency would become an issue. Too often, Onye would be in the wrong position or find himself washed out of his gap against the run.
When spring practice began though, something changed.
“He was a completely different kid,” Ash said. “He showed up with a positive attitude, really just willing to work every single day. He’s willing to be coached every single day. He takes coaching and applies it to the next series or the next day, whenever he’s getting it. He just shows up with a competitive spirit, trying to be the best that he can be.”
Physically, Onye’s upper body was noticeably larger (in a good way). The 6-foot-5 defensive tackle from North Providence, R.I. crossed the 300-pound threshold for the first time in his career. But more important, Ash explained, he started playing with more violence than ever.
“He’s doing a great job with his hands and getting great knock-back there in the run game,” Ash said. “He’s understanding how to rush the passer with his ability, and I just love that.
“Where he was at when I first got here to where he’s at today is really an impressive transformation.”
Whether Onye or fellow redshirt senior Gabriel Rubio gets the starting nod at three-technique, both veterans will rotate heavily at Miami. Alongside redshirt junior Donovan Hinish and sixth-year Louisville transfer Jared Dawson at nose tackle, Notre Dame feels it can go two-deep at both spots on the interior defensive line without much drop-off.
One thing is clear: Onye’s journey from where he was in October 2024 to where he is now is incredible.
“To show this community and this staff and this university surrounded him with resources to help him and to see how he’s playing now, I know he’s going to do great things for us in football,” Freeman said. “But the story shouldn’t be that; what the story should be is how he overcame adversity and has developed in his four years here.”
Freeman added that he expects Onye to do a “really good job” for Notre Dame this year. Given his physical upside, that’s great news for the Irish.
