Notre Dame gets encouraging injury update on star linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa

The Notre Dame defense will be one of the best in the country in 2026. If linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa can return before or early in the regular season, that defense could go from “one of the best” to “the best.” The good news there is that the linebacker is rehabbing nicely and could even start practicing when fall camp begins. However, there is still some doubt about how fast he can be ready and “full go.”

Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to local media in South Bend on Tuesday for the first time in over 90 days. He covered several different topics, but it should surprise no one that the biggest and most important involved injury updates. Among those was the expected return of Viliamu-Asa to the linebacker corps ahead of the season, where he could finish things off by being a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

“He won’t be full go,” the Notre Dame coach said about Viliamu-Asa. “He’ll be return to play.”

In other words, the linebacker will be ready for some kinds of activities when fall camp begins at the start of August. However, he will at the very least be wearing a no-contact jersey and taking things easy. Even with that news, it’s a big deal for a defender who could be among the best linebackers in the sport.

Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa set for limited work at Notre Dame fall camp

“I don’t know exactly when he’ll be cleared to play in a game,” Freeman added. “But he’ll be practicing. It’s just when he is 100 percent full go. That’s not going to be at the start of fall camp.”

The backer, lovingly known as KVA to Notre Dame fans, tore a ligament in his left knee in the Irish’s second-to-last game of the year against Syracuse last fall. In the first half, he recorded 2 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries. His last recorded statistic was a QB hurry on first down with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter. There were some theories that he managed to play a few more downs after injuring the knee.

Entering that game, Viliamu-Asa was Notre Dame's top defender. Pro Football Focus gave him an 87.2 grade, ranking fourth in all of college football among Power 4 linebackers. In the first 10 games, he totaled 46 tackles and a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss. KVA also added 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, an interception, and a fumble recovery.

Now, the Notre Dame linebacker is working to get back and once again be one of the best players at his position in the sport. Should Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa keep healing at the rate he is, there’s a very good chance he’ll rejoin the Irish early in the campaign.

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This article was originally published on slapthesign.com as Notre Dame gets encouraging injury update on star linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.