Notre Dame's Jayson Ademilola warns Ohio State about team's defensive line

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Number 5 Notre Dame will take on No. 2 Ohio State to kick off the college football season Saturday night, and it will be a good indicator of how the year is going to go.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola put it in blunt terms on Tuesday just how good his Fighting Irish feel ahead of their matchup.

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Jack Plummer, #13 of the Purdue Boilermakers, scrambles with the ball as Jayson Ademilola, #57 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, reaches for the tackle during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 18, 2021, in South Bend, Indiana. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

"We feel like we’re the strongest, most bada—mother---ers in the country," Ademilola told reporters, via On3Sports.

Ademilola is a fifth-year senior for the Fighting Irish. He played in all 13 games for Notre Dame last season and had career highs in total tackles (50), tackles for a loss (8.5) and sacks (4).

Notre Dame was 11-2 in 2021 with their only losses coming against Cincinnati and Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. Marcus Freeman took over for Brian Kelly for the final game of the season and was later named permanent head coach.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jayson Ademilola, #57, during the College Football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Syracuse Orange on November 17, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Notre Dame’s schedule is not an easy one by any means. At the start of the year, the team has four ranked opponents on its schedule, including Ohio State. BYU, Clemson and USC are the others. The team will also play Navy at M&T Stadium in Baltimore.

Al Golden will take the reins as defensive coordinator with hopes of replicating the team’s 2020 defense in which it had 41 sacks, 26 takeaways and were 15th in the nation in points allowed. Freeman was the defensive coordinator at the time.

Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 01, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cowboys defeated the Fighting Irish 37-35.  (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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"We’re trying to keep some consistency in what we’re doing," Freeman said last week. "There obviously have been some enhancements because of coach Golden’s experience being a defensive coordinator and being in the NFL. But the basis of what we’re going to do is not going to change."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.