When a defensive end starts drawing the simple but brutal label of being “tough to block,” that is usually coach-speak for something much more meaningful: the tape is already doing the shouting. In Boubacar Traore’s case, the numbers back it up. He has 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, a line that points to real backfield disruption rather than empty activity.
That is the kind of production Notre Dame can build around. Traore is not just showing up in the stat sheet; he is affecting plays where they matter most, forcing offenses to account for him before the ball is even snapped. For a senior defensive end, that matters. Experience should bring consistency, and so far Traore has delivered a profile that looks increasingly difficult to ignore.
Freeman's verdict tells the story
Marcus Freeman’s assessment of Traore as tough to block is not a throwaway compliment. It is the clearest sign yet that Notre Dame views him as more than a useful piece on the edge. When a coach says that about a defensive end, it usually means the player is winning with leverage, effort and timing — the stuff that can wreck a game without always needing a highlight reel.
And that is what makes Traore’s season so notable. Fifteen tackles is solid. Four and a half tackles for loss is disruptive. Two and a half sacks is the sort of return that tells you he is not merely holding his own, but actually tilting plays in Notre Dame’s favour. The edge defender role is often about pressure as much as production, and Traore is giving Notre Dame both.
There is a tendency in football to wait for the eye-popping totals before taking a player seriously. That would be a mistake here. Traore’s value is not just in the raw numbers, but in what those numbers represent: repeated stress on opposing offenses and a defensive end who is becoming a genuine problem. Freeman has said the quiet part out loud. The evidence on the field supports him.
