While Notre Dame's practice on Saturday was relatively short, there were at least a couple of moments of high drama. At one point during the practice, the two-time captain and All-World safety Adon Shuler appeared to injure his knee, lower leg or ankle. However, while there were plenty of Fighting Irish onlookers holding their collective breath as he limped off the field, later reports indicate it might not have been as serious as it first looked.
According to beat writer Mike Berardino, Shuler came off the field after the first play of a two-minute drill. He said it wasn't clear what the issue was, but trainers examined the safety's right knee and also retaped his right foot after first taking off the cleat. Eventually the player also had a compression sleeve added to his right leg.
However, while there's always concern when someone has to leave practice with some kind of leg injury, it appears the Notre Dame star might have dodged a bullet.
Berardino said that not long after the compression sleeve was put on and the trainers had some discussions with the Fighting Irish captain, he went back onto the field. Even if he didn't get back into the thick of things, instead doing some mental reps as the practice continued, there were signs that Shuler was in high spirits and that might be the best indicator of all that the injury wasn't as serious as it first looked.
WATCH: Quick update on safety and 2-time captain Adon Shuler after he limped off early in Saturday’s practice. #NotreDame pic.twitter.com/4qN5kLlppi
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) August 8, 2026
Adon Shuler returns after Notre Dame football injury scare at practice
"The good news is that Adon Shuler, after getting a compression sleeve added to that right knee, walked right over, hopped off the table, walked over, gave uh Mike Denbrock, offensive coordinator, a big hug, spoke for a while with Rob Hunt, the director of athletic training for Notre Dame, and then returned to his group," Berardino said.
The beat writer added that this wasn't a practice that included a full press conference from Marcus Freeman, so there wasn't an official update about what happened to the safety. The media departed practice soon after, so it might not be until next week that head coach Marcus Freeman gives another injury update, assuming that Shuler's is even worth mentioning.
If Notre Dame did avoid a big injury to Shuler, it would be a very welcome turn of events. In addition to being a team captain, he's been one of the best safeties in the game for the last two years.
When he ascended to starter status in 2024, he tallied 59 tackles, 5 passes defended and 3 interceptions, including a 36 yard INT return for a touchdown. He followed that up last year with 53 tackles, another 5 passes defended and two more interceptions and a sack.
Notre Dame expects him to once again be a backstop for what should be one of the best defenses in the country. If Adon Shuler can bounce back from Saturday's issue quickly, it would be a deep sigh of relief from the whole program.
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