Joey O’Brien’s roughest moment at Notre Dame may end up being the thing that sharpens him most.
The freshman safety had been rolling early, then BYU hit him with a lesson he couldn’t avoid. Two weeks ago, the player O’Brien was covering hauled in the touchdown that turned out to be the game-winner for the Cougars.
That kind of snap can stick with a young defensive back, and by the sound of it, O’Brien hasn’t tried to pretend otherwise. Luke Talich said he’s been talking the freshman through it and pushing him to carry the right kind of memory into the next stretch of games.
"He’s been great. I told him right after, that play is going to define his career and it’s going to make him that much better.
He obviously was disappointed. He felt like he let the team down, but it wasn’t his fault. ...
Joey is an unbelievable player, unbelievable kid. He’s such a great person (who) has a great, humble heart.
He’s going to be unbelievable, and that play is definitely going to make him focus that much more on the details and just lock in. He’s going to be really good from that play."
That’s the Notre Dame standard in a nutshell: don’t bury the mistake, learn from it. Talich’s message was clear - O’Brien can’t just erase the BYU play, but he can make it matter in a better way.
That fits the kind of player O’Brien has been throughout his football life. He’s usually the one making everyone else chase him, the athlete with the edge.
Eventually, though, even the best players get beat. The point is what comes after.
For O’Brien, that next chance comes fast. The safety, who is still having a strong freshman year overall, has Navy coming up, then Miami after that. Each game gives him another chance to clean up the details and keep moving forward.
His résumé says he’s built for it. O’Brien was a 5-star safety in the 2026 recruiting class and arrived at Notre Dame after starring at La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. He committed on June 20, 2025, picking the Fighting Irish over Clemson, Oregon, and Penn State.
As a senior in 2025, the 6-foot-5, 203-pound O’Brien did it all. He caught 85 passes for 1,250 yards and 18 touchdowns, and on defense he added 49 tackles, four interceptions, 12 passes defended, one sack and one fumble recovery. In the PIAA Class 6A state championship game, he caught 10 passes for 99 yards, threw a touchdown pass and picked off three passes, including one he returned for a touchdown, as La Salle won the title.
He also picked up major hardware along the way, earning Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year honors, the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Player of the Year award and a spot as a Maxwell Football Club High School All-American.
That’s the profile Talich is betting on: a player talented enough to turn one painful rep into fuel for everything that follows.
In Other News...
Notre Dames Early Navy Gamble Is Raising Questions Fast
Chris Ashs early rotation against Navy turned into one of the more curious wrinkles of the afternoon, with Notre Dame leaning on reserve players sooner than expected on defense. Christian Gray started at cornerback, and backup linebacker Anthony Rezac was on the field for the opening drive as the Irish tried to sort out Navys option look and settle into the game plan.
The move did not pay off cleanly. Navy put together its longest offensive drive of the season during that stretch and grabbed a 3-0 lead before Notre Dame answered to go ahead 7-3, leaving the Irish with questions about both the playcalling and the decision to use reserves so early. For a defense that needed to be sharp from the start, the first series only added to the scrutiny surrounding how Notre Dame handled the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Put Notre Dames Defensive Leadership Under Pressure
Marcus Freeman did not hide his frustration at halftime against Navy, and the message carried beyond the scoreline. The Notre Dame head coach said the defense was being asked to run plays it did not know, a blunt critique of both execution and play calling that underscored how messy things had gotten in the first half. Freeman also stressed the basics he wants from that side of the ball, calling for a more physical approach and a steadier response when the game starts to tilt.
The second half brought a much cleaner defensive showing, but the larger issue did not disappear with it. Freemans comments put a spotlight on Chris Ash and the rest of the defensive staff, because in South Bend, the standard is not just better results after halftime, but a defense that looks organized from the start. For a unit trying to settle itself, the pressure now is not only about fixing mistakes, but proving the confusion Freeman described was an exception rather than a warning sign. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Suddenly Has A Serious Drayk Bowen Concern Before Miami
Drayk Bowens status has become one of the biggest questions hanging over Notre Dame as it turns from Navy to Miami. The linebacker suffered a lower right leg injury during the game, and while the Irish were able to manage around several bumps and bruises with substitutions and limited snaps, Bowens situation carries more weight because of how central he has been to the defense.
Marcus Freeman also offered updates on a cluster of other injured players, including Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Leonard Moore, Cooper Flanagan and Micah Gilbert, leaving Notre Dame with a clearer picture of the overall health of the roster but not much certainty at one of its most important spots. With Miami next on the schedule, the Irish are now waiting to see whether Bowen can get back in time or whether theyll have to adjust the defense again for a game that already demands full strength. [Read more 🡒]