Notre Dame Impact Players for 2025: No. 49 Jordan Botelho originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Notre Dame is now 49 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let’s continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 49 most impactful player, defensive end Jordan Botelho.
Botelho is another player who was injured this offseason in June in an off campus workout. The Honolulu, Hawaii native is going on his sixth season in South Bend and was off to his best start in an Irish uniform last season before suffering a season ending knee injury in week three. Botelho has, once again, been set back by another injury on his road to recovery, but the skillset he has and the experience he’s racked up makes him a valuable asset to this 2025 Fighting Irish defense.
What He Brings To The Table
Botelho has yet to live up to his recruiting hype when he stepped foot on campus as a freshman in 2020. The 6-3 260 pound edge rusher has shown flashes of his raw athleticism and will be looking to put that all together when he returns, hopefully in October or November. He’s twitchy off the edge and has shown his abilities as a more than capable pass rusher and an edge setter against the run.
Botelho brings a lot of experience in big games along with him and has played against USC, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Clemson just to name a few. His 794 career snaps rivals any returning player along the defensive line. The biggest question for Botelho is the level of athleticism he retained after suffered a lower body and upper body injury within a calendar year.
What Is His Impact?
As of right now, his timeline to return will be at some point towards the end of the regular season, but with another playoff run expected from this unit, Botelho will have his opportunity to work his way back into the rotation and potentially the starting lineup. Notre Dame’s defensive line was decimated by injuries last season, and the edge players are relatively inexperienced heading into this season.
While he’s working on his return to the field, Botelho’s impact will be felt as a mentor to players like Bryce Young, Loghan Thomas and Cole Mullins who is expected to take on a bigger role this season. He is one of only two sixth year seniors on this team and the only one of defense. Defensive line coach Al Washington will be relying on him to be an extension of himself throughout fall camp, on the practice field and on Saturdays.
When he returns, Botelho will give you an immediate boost in depth and experience. He will have to replicate his performance against Texas A&M from the 2024 season opener as a pass rusher in critical moments down the stretch. Notre Dame’s defensive ends also struggled setting the edge against the run at times last season; Botelho will have to own that role as well pending his return. His injury history has been unfortunate, but his experience, talent and potential is what makes Botelho my No. 49 most impactful player for Notre Dame in 2025.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.