Notre Dame has historically been a dominant force on both ends of the floor, but as is often the case in college football, some of the best defenders in Notre Dame history have been somewhat overlooked in comparison to their offensive line.
As the old saying goes, defense wins championships. And essential to a great defense is a fearsome pass rush. Over the years, many great pass rushers, including Hall of Famers and All-Americans, have passed through South Bend on their way to the NFL.
But which Fighting Irish players have sacked opposing quarterbacks the most in their careers? Here are the top 10 Notre Dame players in history for sacks:
An important side note: sacks were not an official statistic prior to 1982, so players from before that time are not on this list. That means that in the more modern era of college football…
Young 18.0 He recorded sacks during a stellar four-year career at Notre Dame and was named an All-American as a senior. As an interior defensive tackle, Young excelled at closing on the quarterback both in college and the NFL, making him a Hall of Fame inductee in 2022.
Roberts is 19.0 He racked up plenty of sacks during his tumultuous tenure at Notre Dame, where injuries plagued him early on but he bounced back and was no longer an injury concern, recording 14 combined sacks in 2001 and 2002, including eight in his final season.
Shenbo is 19.5 During his time at Notre Dame, he racked up sacks from the inside linebacker position, with his best statistical year coming in 2012 when he recorded 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Winn also 19.5 During his time at Notre Dame, he recorded nine sacks. Though he played primarily as a linebacker in his early years, he switched to defensive end at the end of his Irish career and immediately made a big impact on opposing quarterbacks. In 1996, he recorded nine sacks and was named team MVP.
Gunn recorded 21.0 He recorded his most sacks while at Notre Dame, coinciding with the birth of the official sack statistic, and the lineman was a second-team All-American in 1984 and went on to have a solid nine-year career in the NFL.
Twit is 21.5 During his time at Notre Dame, he recorded his 1 millionth sack, including a dominating sophomore season in 2012 when he recorded 12 sacks, second-most in school history, and was named an All-American. He was named an All-American again in 2013, and went on to play in the NFL.
Like Twit, Abiamiri 21.5 The number of sacks he recorded while at Notre Dame. The Baltimore native played four years with the Irish, recording eight sacks in 2005 and 10.5 sacks in 2006. His four sacks against Stanford in 2005 still remain tied for first in school history.
Minor ended his career at Notre Dame. 22.5 Sack. The outside linebacker made an impact all over the field, recording five interceptions during his time with the Irish.
Tack is 24.5 During his illustrious career at Notre Dame, Tuck recorded 10 million sacks, a school record that has since been broken. In 2003, he set a school record with 13.5 sacks, and had multiple games with four or more sacks, including against Pittsburgh in 2002 and Stanford in 2003. Tuck went on to have a stellar NFL career, appearing in multiple Super Bowls and Pro Bowls.
Foskey holds the Notre Dame school record. 26.5 Foskey recorded 11 sacks in his career, including back-to-back 11-sack seasons in 2021 and 2022, making him the only player in Notre Dame history with double-digit sacks multiple times and the only active NFL player on that list.
– Notre Dame Football: All-time leading passing leaders
