James Rendell, Beaux Collins, Rod Heard II of Notre Dame football
Notre Dame football punter James Rendell, transfers Beaux Collins and Rod Heard II address media on June 20, 2024 at Irish Athletic Complex.
SOUTH BEND — Bodie Kahoun is aware of what he’s getting himself into.
A summer enrollee for Notre Dame football, the linebacker understands the type of players ahead of him on the depth chart. That’s not going to stop the Roanoke, Virginia, native from doing everything he can to see snaps on the field his freshman season.
“I would say I envisioned it being hard — and I chose hard,” Kahoun said. “I love it so far.”
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Kahoun was an Ohio State lacrosse commit before his football career took off two years ago. That included 200 tackles and being named the Patrick Henry High School Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He was also recognized as a first-team all-state linebacker in Class 5A in Virginia.
Now Kahoun prepares for a new challenge at Notre Dame. While two of last year’s starting linebackers — Marist Liufau and JD Bertrand — graduated, there are several juniors and sophomores competing for those Will and Mike linebacker spots.
The Mike position — otherwise know as a middle linebacker — is where coaches have Kahoun working.
“It’s my favorite position because you can go left and right,” said Kahoun of playing Mike. “You’re not so forced onto one side of the field. You’re kind of like the quarterback of the defense.”
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The third linebacker spot, Rover, is locked up by sixth-year senior Jack Kiser. The 2018 Indiana Mr. Football out of Pioneer High School has one more season of eligibility left from the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020. Kiser has played in 53 games in his Notre Dame career, putting him 11 behind 2022 graduate Houston Griffith for most in program history.
While Kahoun has made a couple of old man jokes at Kiser — including when they played pickleball two weeks ago — the freshman knows what type of leader he has in the veteran.
“He’s been one of the best leaders I’ve ever had, even though I’ve only been here — what? — a week and a half,” Kahoun said. “I feel like he’s an older brother. I look up to him a lot. He’s taught me almost everything out there so far.”
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Having someone on the field like Kiser is important for Kahoun. Just as ideal is the coaching staff helping at his position at Notre Dame.
Linebackers coach Max Bullough has NFL experience, playing a handful of years with the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. Defensive coordinator Al Golden was the linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals before taking his current role at Notre Dame. Head coach Marcus Freeman was a linebacker in college himself and coached the position for years across multiple stops.
“My first live rep was in front of (Freeman), and he pulled me aside and critiqued how I did it,” Kahoun said. “He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. But he can flip the switch, which I love. It’s not going to be, ‘Hey buddy, do this.’ I like how he’ll get in people’s faces, including mine, and help them out really quick.”
Kahoun has also noticed a meritocracy in how Golden runs the defense in practice.
“I messed up on a rep, and (Golden) pulled me out,” Kahoun said. “I lost my chance; he’s like, ‘Next man.’ And if Jack messes up, I’ll go in. One thing I like is that no one has a spot. It’s not guaranteed. It’s all about who works the hardest.”
There will be plenty of competition for playing time at linebacker this fall. Of the 12 linebackers on the roster, Kiser is the only one with significant game time at the position. That leaves the likes of junior Jaylen Sneed, sophomores Jaiden Ausberry, Preston Zinter and Drayk Bowen, and freshman Kyngtsonn Vilamu-Asa among those poised to see a lot of snaps during the season.
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Kahoun’s best chance to see the field might come on special teams. He’s been working with special teams coach Marty Biagi already while keeping his focus on the linebackers as well.
There are starters right now, but nothing is guaranteed,” Kahoun said. “A couple of players get hurt, go down, and you never know what your next step is. So, I’m always ready. I want to play as much as I can. Just special teams or if that means playing on the actual defense, I’ll be happy to play anywhere.”