Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa injury update: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman reveals recovery timeline

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman provided an injury update on rising junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa on Wednesday. Freeman said during his news conference that Viliamu-Asa should be back around the start of next season. Viliamu-Asa suffered an ACL injury in his left knee against Syracuse on Nov. 22.

“I expect him to be back sometime in the fall,” Freeman said. “I don’t know where — every ACL is different. Kyngstonn I’m talking about. But he will be back in the fall. We expect him for the start — somewhere around the start of the season, to be full go. He’s doing really, really well in his rehab and recovery proccess.”

Viliamu-Asa is about 4.5 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.

Even with only 11 games, Viliamu-Asa finished the season as the second-highest graded Power Four linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him an 89.2 grade, a mark that also ranked second on the Notre Dame defense. On the season, he totaled 48 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss. Viliamu-Asa also added three sacks, two pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Viliamu-Asa had been especially elite against the run in 2025. According to PFF, his run-defense grade was 94.0, by far the best on the team and the second-best among all college football linebackers, trailing only Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez. PFF also credited Viliamu-Asa with 25 stops, tackles that constitute a failure for the offense.

Still, he remained impactful as a pass rusher. Including his three sacks, PFF credited him with 23 quarterback pressures, fourth on the team and tied for eighth among Power Four linebackers during the regular season.

Last season, Viliamu-Asa sustained a sprain in his right knee against Army on Nov. 23, 2024. That kept him from playing in the regular-season finale against USC and Notre Dame’s first-round playoff game vs. Indiana. He eventually returned to play 13 snaps against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and finished the remainder of the season.

As a freshman, Viliamu-Asa had 37 tackles (nine solo), 2.5 stops for loss, one sack, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and one interception in 14 games.

Viliamu-Asa has appeared in 25 games and logged 778 defensive snaps in his Notre Dame career. Entering the 2026 season, he has two years of eligibility remaining.