Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa injury update: Notre Dame coach reveals news on standout freshman LB
Following No. 6 Notre Dame football’s 49-14 victory over No. 18 Army, Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman revealed a postgame injury update on Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. According to Freeman, the initial diagnosis of the freshman linebacker’s injury is that he sustained a knee sprain.
At the start of the second half, Blue & Gold observed Viliamu-Asa on the sideline without pads and a wrap on his right knee. He did not record any statistics despite seeing snaps in the first half. Saturday marked his first collegiate start.
Entering Week 13, Viliamu-Asa played a crucial role in the Irish defense, logging 262 snaps, most of which came at linebacker. He has posted 29 tackles (7 solo), 2.5 stops for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception and 1 pass breakup. Pro Football Focus also credited him with 9 run stops, 4 quarterback hurries and 2 QB hits.
Earlier this season, Viliamu-Asa said his success as a pass-rusher comes from his time spent with his teammates.
“I try to learn from the best pass-rushers on the team,” he said. “It’s great being under (Jaylen) Sneed and seeing guys like (Boubacar Traore) come in. I think my length has something to do with it. Athleticism. Coaches giving me a chance to play on the edge to help the team.”
Viliamu-Asa is about 3.5 years removed from suffering a torn ACL in his left knee, which required surgery. That injury happened in the final game of his high school freshman year for Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco during the Spring 2021 COVID-19 season. As a result, he did not appear as a preps sophomore in any games.
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Yet, Viliamu-Asa bounced back as a junior and senior, finishing high school with 253 tackles (110 solo), 22.5 stops for loss, 8.5 sacks and 4 pass breakups. He also collected several turnovers, including 2 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries and 1 caused fumble.
Viliamu-Asa completed the 2024 recruiting cycle as a four-star recruit who ranked as the No. 24 overall player, No. 4 linebacker nationally and No. 4 prospect in California, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He signed with the Irish in December 2023 over Ohio State and Southern Cal.
Next Saturday, the Irish will head to SoCal to take on the Trojans in the 2024 regular-season finale. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Freeman should have a more complete update on Viliamu-Asa when the program releases its weekly injury report on Monday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
