The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had an amazing 2024. After a 12-1 regular season, they went on a deep run in the College Football Playoff, making it all the way to the national title game before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Fighting Irish were able to achieve so much last season, despite the fact that they were facing numerous injuries across their defensive line. They lost two starting defensive linemen in Jordan Botehol and Boubacar Traore to season-ending knee injuries, and were excited to have both players back in 2025.
However, that won’t be the case, as unfortunately, Betelho just faced a major setback.
Irish DL Jordan Botelho to Miss Four Months With Pectoral Injury
Notre Dame fans got some devastating news late Friday evening as the Irish announced that star defensive end Jordan Botelho will be out for at least four months with a torn pectoral muscle.
Jordan Botelho will miss the next 4 months with a torn pectoral muscle
Man… he just can’t catch a break
Bright side is Bryce young is a beast and Traore will be healthy and Burnham has sown he is very capable
But this sucks but it’s better than losing him the whole year pic.twitter.com/KyNWQo4LI5
— ND Insider (@insider_nd) June 13, 2025
This is devastating news for Botelho, who was ready to make his return to the college football field after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 last year.
Before the injury last season, Botelho was playing great football. He led the Fighting Irish defensive line with 12 tackles and one sack and was projected to be one of the top players on Notre Dame’s defense in his fifth year with the Irish.
Botelho had another year of eligibility left and used it to return to Notre Dame for his sixth season with the program, but now has been dealt another blow in his football journey as he will miss the vast majority of the 2025 season.
In his career with the Fighting Irish, Botelho has racked up 77 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks. He committed to Notre Dame all the way back in 2020 as a four-star recruit and was the number one-ranked player from Hawaii in his class.
It’s a tough blow for Botelho as he is now likely out of eligibility in college football, and 2025 was his last chance to prove himself for the Irish before he left to potentially join the NFL.
Many projected him to be the best defensive lineman on Notre Dame, and contributed to the Fighting Irish’s defense in a big way in 2025.
Notre Dame will now turn to younger and unproven players on its defensive line to fill Botelho’s shoes.
The news isn’t all grim, however. Four months is not a season-ending injury, and the defensive end will likely return to the football field to help Notre Dame make a push towards the College Football Playoff.
