Junior Tuihalamaka
Junior Tuihalamaka
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. He has spent four seasons in the Notre Dame defensive front. The receipt: 4 tackles, 1 TFL against Syracuse — Week 13, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Marcus Freeman.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Marcus Freeman
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR03 · Backup
Spot duty on defense. Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 12 | 9 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 32 | 18 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Notre Dame | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Notre Dame | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 59 | 37 | 9.5 | 4.0 | 2 | 1 | -- |
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Notre Dame
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Notre Dame
Returning around him
- 6 Notre Dame players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -8 net (7 in / 15 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Notre Dame · Last season: 10-2 (AP #9) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #5
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Michael Heldman’s 2023 season.
Matches Michael on
Differs from Michael on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Diwun Black's senior season at Temple (2024).
Matches Diwun on
Differs from Diwun on