Joey O'Brien wants everyone to know that the talk about his Blue-Gold game injury being a season-ender was very wrong. The freshman Notre Dame defensive back is, in fact, already back working out and getting ready for the fall. Last week, a video even surfaced of the young defender working out during his offseason while wearing a cast on his injured leg.
The Fighting Irish have never confirmed the extent of O'Brien's injury. Still, the defensive back posted a picture of himself lying in a hospital bed on Instagram just a few weeks after ND's spring session ended.
At the time, On3's Pete Nakos reported the Notre Dame defender had surgery on his left leg after exiting the spring game. He went on to say that the surgery was not major and that he will be ready for fall camp.
Of course, there are still some questions about whether O'Brien will be full go for the fall. There could be a redshirt year on tap for him, as he still can play in up to four games without losing it, and if the Irish make the College Football Playoff, he’d be able to play in each of those without burning the redshirt. If the Five-for-Five rule passes as it's expected to, things would get even more complicated, as there's no guarantee he could get any injury waiver to stay at five seasons.
Early enrollee and 5⭐️ Safety Joey O’Brien still getting that work in, despite having surgery a few weeks ago 💪
— Biased Notre Dame Fan (@CFBGuy999) May 15, 2026
These players have the championship mentality 👀☘️ pic.twitter.com/7c9TDPgovi
Joey O’Brien still has Notre Dame football watching his recovery and freshman role closely
O'Brien has been a workout machine since signing with the Fighting Irish. Early during spring practice, more than a few onlookers noticed how he's already started transforming his body to look more like one of the better college players in the country. That work ethic has likely already helped him get back to work faster than some others in his situation.
Before his spring injury, the defensive back looked like someone who could easily see the field early in sub-packages with his skill set. Nickel seemed like the most likely place to start him out, though the young safety showed enough during his high school days that there was no guarantee he wouldn't get more action early on, even stealing playing time from other safeties.
Before coming to Notre Dame, he amassed just about every honor a high school senior could imagine:
- The top-ranked recruit in the state of Pennsylvania and second-ranked safety overall by 247Sports Composite
- The top-ranked recruit in the state, and top-ranked safety overall by On3/Rivals
- The top-ranked recruit in the state and fifth-ranked safety overall by ESPN
- 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School All-American Team
- 2025 Under Armor All-American
- 2025 Gatorade Player of the Year for Pennsylvania
- 2025 MaxPreps Pennsylvania Player of the Year
- 2025 MaxPreps All-American
- 2025 PIAA 6A State Champions
- 2025 OT7 Defensive MVP
- 2025 Eagles Nike Next One
- 2025 Philadelphia Catholic League First Team Offense
- 2025 Philadelphia Catholic League First Team Defense
- 2025 Philadelphia Catholic League MVP
If anyone could get back up to speed quickly once he's back on the field, it would be Joey O'Brien. Notre Dame coaches and teammates, not to mention fans, are hoping his workout display shows he's on target.
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