Jared Dawson Brings Experience and Disruptive Presence to Notre Dame's Defensive Line
Jared Dawson was familiar with Notre Dame before entering the Transfer Portal.
The 6-foot-2, 305-pounder had faced the Fighting Irish a few months earlier and Dawson had a big game with four tackles in Notre Dame’s 31-24 win.
When he did enter the portal, Notre Dame was an easy decision for the Tennessee native.
“The culture, the winning culture and also, I like the way they treat their players, the way they interact,” stated Dawson. “It’s really like a big family. I just wanted to be a part of it.”
Dawson didn’t appear in the 2023 contest between the Irish and Cardinals, but he does remember a key quality the program showed in last September’s meeting.
“I noticed their poise on the field,” explained Dawson. “We were trying to go back and forth, but I feel like sometimes a team can get frustrated and stuff like that. I feel like they kept their composure, and that’s something I can really respect about a team when they do that.”
Dawson will look to help Notre Dame replace Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills on the interior of the defensive line in 2025. Experience is priceless in college football and Dawson brings 37 games to South Bend along with 37 tackles and 9.0 sacks.
Transferring into a program is a process, but Dawson has quickly gained the respect of his teammates. That said, Dawson has bigger goals for the fall.
“I’m just looking to prove that I’m the best in the country and I’m trying to prove that we can be the best team,” said Dawson. “I know I wasn’t here last year, but even just being at the national championship game that one time, I just felt like these were already my teammates on the field before I even knew them. I just want to push them and get them to push me.”
Dawson had a front row seat for the National Title game and saw the pain the team went through in late January. That pain hasn’t left the program.
“I know they got all the way to the game and that affects them,” explained Dawson. “That drives them every day, so using that as part of me too, even though I wasn’t here, that’s an easy thing for me to do. Trying to put myself in their shoes and get going.”
Defensive line coach Al Washington is now tasked with developing Dawson in his final year. The two have quickly built a rapport and Dawson has embraced a new coaching style.
“I love how he coaches,” Dawson stated. “I love how involved he is, and how he brings you in and treats you like family. He’ll call you every day, multiple times today, just bring you in, meeting one-on-one and just really wanted me to get better. That’s something I haven’t really felt before.”
Why did Washington want Dawson in the room? It’s easy. Dawson causes chaos.
Notre Dame saw that firsthand in September and doing it against one of the best offensive lines in the country got Washington’s attention.
“He's just a disrupter,” stated Washington. “He's explosive, powerful. He's a disrupter. That was what I liked about his game. He plays with a motor and an edge.
“Our line is arguably the best. I think the way we play — and I'm being sincere — is like I think we played at a high level because our O-line every day played at a high level. You saw throughout the playoffs. That's how you're able to play the brand we play. I think for him, playing in that game and having some moments of disruption was awesome.
Washington might have an experienced player in the room, but he’s already broken down Dawson’s game and established core fundamentals.
Dawson might be learning new techniques and a new defense with a new program, but he believes it fits his game perfectly.
“The scheme is a lot different,” Dawson said. “It’s a lot more aggressive scheme, so just trying to use that to my advantage and doing stuff like that. Him teaching me how to be the best in this game is all going to help me in the long run.”
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