While the Notre Dame football team is expected to have a mostly veteran two-deep, there are a few youngsters who could make some noise. On the offensive side of the ball, Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne are getting a lot of love from the coaches. Out in the secondary, former 5-star safety Joey O’Brien looks like a shoo-in for more playing time than true freshmen at that position usually get.
On Wednesday, BlueandGold.com reported that defensive coordinator Chris Ash confirmed that O’Brien will have a role this fall. Most likely, a starting role isn’t in the cards, as Brauntae Johnson and Adon Shuler have locked themselves into those spots, but O’Brien’s rise since training camp started has certainly been something to see.
O’Brien has been a topic of conversation among defensive coaches really since the first day of camp when he showed up healthy and ready to go. There have also been plenty of times when reporters allowed to watch practices have come away raving about what they saw out of the freshman safety.
There was a time when the 2026 season was very much in doubt for O’Brien as he suffered what looked like a severe injury during Notre Dame’s Blue and Gold game. He limped off the field after one particular play and was later spotted on the sideline sporting crutches.
Chris Ash confirms Notre Dame football freshman Joey O’Brien be part of the secondary rotation
Things became even scarier when O’Brien shared a photo on social media of himself lounging in a hospital bed with no further explanation about just what was going on. While expectations immediately after that photo were that he might miss at least part of early practices, he came back fully healthy and ready to go.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound former 5-star safety from La Salle College High School in Glenside, Pennsylvania, was an early enrollee after ranking as the No. 31 player in the 2026 class, the No. 2 player at his position and the No. 1 player in the state according to the final 247Sports Composite Rankings.
As a senior in 2025, O’Brien showed he was a game-changing talent on both sides of the ball. As a receiver, he caught 85 passes for 1,250 yards and 18 touchdowns. At defensive back, O’Brien tallied 49 tackles, 4 interceptions, 12 passes defended, one sack and one fumble recovery. He capped his senior season by catching 10 passes for 99 yards and throwing a touchdown pass while intercepting three passes, including a pick-six, in La Salle College’s PIAA Class 6A state championship victory.
How much field time O’Brien will see is still very much up in the air. That he’s already been guaranteed at least some field time early in the season by Notre Dame coaches is still one heck of an accomplishment.
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