“We ain’t about to panic!” This mantra became the battle cry of Notre Dame’s 2024 run to the national title game. It defined Marcus Freeman’s culture: steel-nerved, defiant, and anchored in the belief that chaos is just the fuel the Fighting Irish need. Yet fate laughs at best-laid plans. The ghost of Mercedes-Benz Stadium still chokes South Bend. Six starters in street clothes. A national championship stolen by Ohio State while Notre Dame’s depth chart bled out on the sideline. This offseason for the Irish was supposed to be a total reload—NFL performance guru Loren Landow was in, practice intensity was slashed, and a vow was made: “Prevent as many preventable injuries as you can.” For a moment, redemption seemed tangible.

But then again, when have things ever gone according to plan? Coming straight from Matt Freeman, “Notre Dame defensive end Jordan Botelho is expected to be out for the next four months following a pectoral injury.”

The Hawaiian EDGE predator, whose 2024 season vaporized in Week 3 with a shredded knee, wasn’t just rehabbing. He was transfigured. Even Freeman confessed that Botelho would be “full-go for summer workouts” alongside Boubacar Traore and Ashton Craig, who are also returning from ACL injuries. Then, the gut punch no one saw coming. An off-campus training injury—requiring surgery and a 4-month break.

And here’s where the tremors spread. Botelho wasn’t just a player—he was the linchpin of Chris Ash’s defensive overhaul. With Ash scrapping the “Vyper” role to install pure left/right edge rushers, the 6’3″, 258-lb Hawaiian was the prototype: a hybrid of power and explosiveness poised to dominate one side. Now? Chaos.

The schedule sharpens the knife. Notre Dame opens in the swamps of Miami on August 31—a primetime crucible against Carson Beck, the Hurricanes’ $4M transfer quarterback. Without Botelho’s edge violence, who will harass Beck before he unleashes his rocket arm?

The dread deepens two weeks later: Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed—the dual-threat menace who went for 1,864 yards on passing and 543 on rushing. Then Purdue—the very team that ended Botelho’s 2024 season—hunts for revenge in Week 3. And lurking in Week 4? A first-ever trip to Fayetteville, where Arkansas’ misdirection offense feasts on hesitant pass rushes.

The injury’s timing is like cruel déjà vu, and the fans are feeling the heat.

Notre Dame fans’ raw nerve

“Summer ball hasn’t even f–king started yet,” a fan pointed out under the original post on X. How long has it been since ND lost their title hopes? This timing simply feels like bad juju heading towards the Irish. “Damn bad luck.” This comment summed it up.

“Sure would be nice to have Botelho for Miami & A&M, kid has had really rough injury luck. If ND can get a healthy version of JB for a playoff run, that would be key,” another fan wrote. Botelho was the perfect piece for Chris Ash’s defense. Freeman wanted Ash on the squad because he saw all the perfect traits in Ash’s coaching. But now? With this 4-month debacle—yeah, the HC and DC really have to rethink their vision.

Another fan wrote, “Damn! This kid just can’t catch a break.” This one is tough for Botelho, who will miss about four months with a pectoral (chest muscle) injury suffered while working out. This means he’ll likely be out for 6-7 games, returning in early to mid-October. Last season, he missed 13 games due to a knee injury after starting strong, and now his sixth year will also be significantly impacted.

Finally, one person laid it out loud: “He needs to just stop and find something else. Obviously his body cannot take the rigger of college football.”

At the end of the day, this is football for you. It’s raw and unpredictable. The panic creeping back into South Bend isn’t something Freeman had foreseen. What’s left to see is if this big hitch derails Freeman’s move to make ND the 2025 champs.