Notre Dame’s "Bash Brothers" Ready to Take Center Stage
On the opening day of fall camp, Jason Onye shot through the middle of the offensive line and tapped second-string quarterback Steve Angeli for the sack. Gabriel Rubio, who bulldozed through a double team, met Onye in the backfield and began celebrating.
The pair of rising juniors represent Notre Dame’s future defensive tackle combo and they’re ready to make a big splash in 2023 backing up Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III. Onye and Rubio have the length, power and speed to be game-wreckers.
“You guys have to come up with a nickname for those guys,” Washington said. “Those are two 300-pound bash brothers and they are dependable, willing. They’re physical, fundamentally sound. Powerful. The same thing you like about big athletic guys that are disruptive.
“Bash Brothers” is a nickname originally given to the Oakland A’s juiced-up, home-runner-hitting duo of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. As teammates from 1987 to 1991, they hit a combined total of bombs and led the MLB in deep shots three times.
Onye and Rubio may never lead the FBS in sacks or TFLs, but the duo sure stands out compared to other recent Notre Dame defensive tackles. Jayson Ademilola, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Kurt Hinish, Jacob Lacey and Chris Smith were all good players for the Irish but were under 6-foot-3.
Rubio and Onye possess elite length at 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-4 ½. Rubio is naturally big, enrolling at Notre Dame as a 305-pound freshman. Onye has steadily bulked up over the last few years and is now a shredded 295 pounds.
With a more prominent role this season, his biggest challenge will be maintaining his weight.
“I would just say the main thing for me has just been sleeping and hydration, the amount of food I have to eat during the day, staying committed,” Onye said. “I've met with [associate director of sports nutrition] Alexa [Appelman] during the whole offseason. With the amount of running we're doing, burning calories, it’s making sure I replenish those calories and stay at the right weight that I want to be at.”
The emergence of Onye and Rubio couldn’t come at a better time. The defense must employ big, long bodies up the middle as Notre Dame utilizes a nickel defense more often to contend with pass-happy offenses.
“We’ve worked Onye at nose; we’ve worked Rubio at nose,” Washington said. “To me, those guys are flexible, but I think based on what you’re running, you have more of an anchor inside—some defenses prefer that. If you have fewer guys in the box you have to have guys eat up blocks more.”
Rubio, a former blue-chip high school recruit, earned significant playing time as a sophomore last year. He received a DNP in the season-opener against Ohio State before playing 184 snaps over Notre Dame’s final 12 games. By season’s end, he amassed 17 tackles and four tackles for loss.
Onye, on the other hand, has played eight career snaps and recorded two tackles — all coming in Notre Dame’s 44-0 win over Boston College last November. So, it’s a bit of a projection to assume the former three-star recruit from Rhode Island is ready for a prime-time role in the defense’s second unit. Still, Onye has undoubtedly impressed the Irish coaching staff in the spring and over the summer.
“He’s one of those guys that from a year ago to now, for me, has made the biggest jump,” Washington said. “It had everything to do with a really good mindset. I think last year he was frustrated he wasn’t playing and he took all of that and put it into work.”
Washington was reluctant to predict if either would break out this fall, but it’s safe to assume he expects big things from Onye and Rubion in 2023 and beyond.
“[I’m] tremendously excited,” Washington said. “I’d strap it up against anybody. That’s how I feel about my guys. But they have to do it. I kind of see it, but they have to do it. I don’t want to put a guy’s name out there; I want him to reveal himself.”
It should help that both have a much better grasp of their responsibilities and assignments heading into their second year of playing in Al Golden’s defense. With more clarity, each can play with even more velocity and confidence.
“We understand the defense 100 times better,” Onye said. “In most cases, we’re the ones setting the fronts now. We just know what the calls are and we understand. That helps us play and do our jobs faster. We're also aligned right.
“Us knowing the game and knowing what stunts actually mean and knowing where to go just makes the whole entire defense play faster, play more free, like establish more explosive plays and just get to the ball faster.”
Of course, there are still plenty of areas where both can improve. Fortunately, they will continue to go through their football journeys side by side.
“Being in the same class and having our class dwindled down a little bit of numbers, we really rely on each other because we feel like we're the next up and coming,” Rubio said. “We strive to push each other in all different aspects. Me with pad level, pushing him to stay lower. Him with violence for me. It's just a constant reminder for both of us what we can be our goals. We're trying to reach them together.”