Hey kids, do you like violence?
The Notre Dame football roster is full of great players — known and unknown. No matter the place on the depth chart or the recruiting ranking a player had attached to him before his arrival at Notre Dame — there are probably some things I really like about him. So over the course of the next few months, let’s take a positive approach to running down the roster.
Almost daily (just being honest) I’ll list three things I like about a single player on the roster, and as an additional bonus, I’ll post some extra pics over on the OFD Instagram account (be sure to follow RIGHT HERE).
Next up…
#12 Jordan Botelho — Defensive End
Botelho was the #1 recruit in the state of Hawaii and had offers from all over the continental United States such as the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers, Oregon Ducks, and more. The 6’3” 261 pounder is now entering his sixth season with the Fighting Irish.
Here are three things I like about Jordan Botelho:
1. I choose violence.
Ever since Botelho came to Notre Dame, his fiery and emotional personality on the field has been one of the things first mentioned about him (much like I’m doing now). He plays with his pants on fire and it’s so obvious on the field — so much so that we all wait for an unsportsmanlike flag even though it’s rarely thrown.
Jordan Botelho posted this video of him lighting up the Aggies OLine with the caption “Missing it ” on his IG account pic.twitter.com/lEw168dJlt
— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) March 7, 2025
2. I like that he’s still here.
There were some minor rumblings that Botelho might enter the transfer portal this offseason. That never happened, but throughout his time in South Bend, there have been multiple occasions where his future in northern Indiana looked uncertain. Still… he’s still here. It says a lot about him as a fighter and a football player looking to ball out.
Pulling guard no problem for Notre Dame edge Jordan Botelho (12). Wrecks the guard and makes the easy tackle. pic.twitter.com/8l7cUHxdw4
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) September 4, 2024
3. The depth is deep.
Notre Dame is absolutely loaded on both sides of the defensive line. I’m not sure about how the rotation will work out, but there will be a strong rotation. That means all the boys will be fresh and free. Botelho’s skill and experience helps make that more of a reality than a line on a wish list.
Notre Dame vyper/LB Jordan Botelho (12) goes through about half the Stanford kickoff unit to make this tackle against Stanford. pic.twitter.com/qthImZipGB
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) October 19, 2022