The Irish lost defensive line depth when Howard Cross and Rylie Mills left for the NFL Draft. They signed Jared Dawson through the transfer portal, but with some depth questions looming ahead of the 2025 season, they also chose to sign Elijah Hughes from USC. He will have an additional year of eligibility, which Notre Dame has not had much of due to portal usage. Hughes has the ability to make an impact on the 2025 and 2026 defensive lines if he continues to grow well.
Hughes At USC
Hughes hasn’t played much football, but the few snaps he has taken have been promising. In 2024, he played seven games, including road games against Notre Dame and Maryland, home games against Nebraska, and road games against Washington. Hughes also played eight games in 2023, including road games against Notre Dame and Oregon, as well as a bowl game versus Louisville. He’s played 214 snaps for the Trojans, 126 of which came this season. He was used more as a depth piece on their defensive line.
He has three sacks in his career, including two this season, one against Nebraska and one against Rutgers. Hughes, who stands 6-3 294 pounds, has decent quickness, which the Trojans would deploy in pass-rushing scenarios. Out of his 126 snaps in 2024, 82 were on pass rushes.
The Notre Dame Need
With players like Jason Onye and Gabriel Rubio working their way up to full-season action, the Irish needed some players to offer depth to the roster and force their way into the rotation. They also needed additional big players. Dawson is 6-2 302 pounds and Hughes is 6-3 294 pounds, so both of their transfer portal pick-ups match the bill. In addition, they will require greater depth in the interior this season, which Hughes delivers. If he has a successful year of growth in this system, he has the potential to be a breakout player for the Irish in 2025 and 2026.
The defensive line suffered greatly from the injury bug this season, with four of their primary inside players missing significant amounts of time. Mills, Cross, Onye, and Rubio each missed time. Hughes will be in the development squad alongside Armel Mukam, Sean Sevillano, Brenan Vernon, and Cole Mullins. Donovan Hinish, with his fast hands and pass rush abilities, complements the transfer acquisitions well.
Breaking Down Hughes’ Game
Hughes can play numerous defensive line positions, which Notre Dame does not currently have throughout the interior. His sack versus Nebraska occurred on an outside rush, which is unusual for interior defensive linemen. Although his film is sparse, his performance versus Rutgers, in which he played 42 snaps, provided a respectable sample size. 27 of those snaps were in pass-rushing situations, and he finished with two total pressures (one sack and one hurry).
In his brief playing time at USC, he has faced stiff competition. His experience against teams such as Notre Dame, Oregon, Louisville, Nebraska, and Washington will serve him well during his tenure in South Bend. He will need to improve his run support and have the ability to eat up blocks so that the linebackers can step in and make plays. In 2024, he played 44 run defensive snaps and had no missed tackles on record.
Hughes’ Impact At Notre Dame
The departure of Cross and Mills raises concerns about the defensive line’s ability to produce a pass rush from the inside. Dawson and Hughes both bring this component to the table. Hughes played the majority of his snaps in 2024 in pass rushing situations, as he did in 2023, when he played 43 pass rushing snaps. At the end of the day, Hughes is one of the lesser-known portal players, and his role this season will be to give immediate depth and the ability to rush the passer. He has the potential to be a breakout player in the future, but he will need to work on his skills over the next few months.
