Marist Liufau started in each of the last 25 football games he played in at Notre Dame.
The 6-foot-2, 234-pound Liufau can begin working on breaking his way into the starting lineup for the Dallas Cowboys now. The Cowboys selected Liufau in the third round Friday with the No. 87 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
"I'm speechless right now, but I'm just excited," Liufau said on the Dallas Cowboys Draft Show. "I don't know how to put it into words."
Liufau, who waited to hear his name with friends and family gathered on Oahu island in Hawaii, joined offensive tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher as the third former Notre Dame player selected in this year's draft. The Los Angeles Chargers picked Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round Thursday night. The Houston Texans drafted Fisher in the second round.
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After suffering a season-ending foot/ankle injury during preseason camp in 2021, Liufau became a full-time starter as a senior in 2022. He racked up 51 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup and a half sack in 13 games. He followed that up in 2023 with 44 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups and one forced fumble.
The previous three Notre Dame linebackers drafted found early success in the NFL: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (2021) with the Cleveland Browns, Drue Tranquill (2019) with the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs and Jaylon Smith (2016) with the Cowboys. All three were selected in the first four rounds.
Notre Dame could have two linebackers drafted this year with JD Bertrand hoping to join Liufau. The two came to Notre Dame together in the 2019 recruiting class.
Notre Dame signed Liufau as a three-star recruit out of Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou, the same school that sent linebacker Manti Te'o to the Irish. Rivals ranked Liufau as the No. 36 outside linebacker and No. 6 prospect in Hawaii in the 2019 class.
Liufau will join 10-year veteran Zack Martin on the Cowboys roster. Martin, an offensive guard, has earned first-team All-Pro honors seven times and Pro Bowl honors nine times since being picked by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2014 draft.
Former Notre Dame soccer player Brandon Aubrey (2013-16) will be entering his second season with Cowboys after earning first-team All-Pro honors for making 36 of his 38 field goal attempts as a rookie.
The Cowboys only had two linebackers who played more than 300 snaps last season: Damone Clark (834) and Markquese Bell (701). Both are back with the team for 2024. The Cowboys signed veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks to a one-year deal this offseason. DeMarvion Overshown, who missed last season with a torn ACL, should be given a chance to compete after being selected in the third round last year.
Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay highlighted Liufau's versatility as something that made him attractive.
Liufau visited the Cowboys during the pre-draft process. He didn't know at the time that it was a preview of what was to come.
“It was unbelievable," Liufau said. "Just the way that they run the organization over there is incredible. Right when I got there and then as I went throughout my visit, you could feel the family atmosphere. It felt like home for me, so I’m super excited. I can’t even say how excited I am. To be able to go back there, it means everything to me.”
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