Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman delivered some bad news for the Fighting Irish on Thursday afternoon during his weekly Zoom call with the media.
Defensive back DJ McKinney, who was injured late in the BYU loss, won't return to the field for the foreseeable future. There was a silver lining to the dark cloud. The transfer, who has missed time quite a bit over the last few seasons, doesn't look to be out for the year. However, it's increasingly likely that if he does return in 2026, it won't be before the College Football Playoff.
“He’s going to miss an extended period of football,” Freeman said in his last media appearance before Notre Dame plays Navy this weekend. “We expect to get him back at some point this year, but he’ll be out for quite a while.”
In McKinney’s place, the Irish will start sophomore Jayden Sanders, another defensive back transfer the Irish brought in over the winter, this time from Michigan. Sanders previously started at boundary cornerback Oct. 10 against Stanford when junior Leonard Moore was out with a concussion. Moving forward, Sanders will replace McKinney at field cornerback until the fifth-year player returns.
DJ McKinney injury could leave Notre Dame football relying on Jayden Sanders through Miami and beyond
Beyond McKinney, Freeman provided no other injury updates Thursday. In Notre Dame’s availability report, senior tight end Cooper Flanagan (left hamstring), junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (left thumb), junior defensive end Loghan Thomas (right shoulder), and sophomore cornerback Mark Zackery IV (concussion) remain questionable.
While the questionable players could eventually play against Navy, the Irish will likely let them see the field only if something goes horribly wrong and the game is much closer than its 30-point spread suggests.
Notre Dame's defensive backfield has taken quite a few hits, injury-wise. Earlier this season, Moore missed time with a concussion, and starting safety Brauntae Johnson has been out since the first half of the season opener against Wisconsin.
Johnson's backup, Luke Talich, also suffered a broken hand, limiting his playing time and pushing true freshman Joey O'Brien to the front of the line. The Fighting Irish defense's depth has allowed the team to weather the injuries without taking too much additional damage. However, things get tougher as this season goes on.
The headline around McKinney's loss is that he won't be available against Miami. If he's truly out until the College Football Playoff at the earliest, it also means he'll miss Notre Dame's other game against a Top 25 team, SMU.
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