There was a time this spring when the whole of the Notre Dame football program was holding its collective breath about the injury status of true freshman safety Joey O'Brien. However, as the spring and summer went on, it became clear that his spring game injury wasn't quite as serious as it first appeared.
Earlier this summer, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman told the media that O'Brien was not only expected to be ready to start fall camp, but he would be a full go. Now that fall camp is here, not only is the star defender full go, but is already impressing media onlookers, his coaches and his teammates.
During Saturday's shortened practice, O'Brien performed so well that the official Notre Dame account took to social media to show the freshman safety pick off a pass and jet down the field. In the process, he showed every bit of how he uses his 6-foot-5, 200 pound frame to make things difficult for the players he's covering.
In the process of that run, it's clear that whatever lingering injury issues he had as the summer began look completely gone and his status is now one of completely healed. That's good news for Joey O'Brien, who is hoping he could find a way to get on the field early and often in his true freshman season.
Go, Joey! 🤩#GoIrish☘️ | @Joey_obrien6 pic.twitter.com/hSRG78NkxA
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 8, 2026
Joey O’Brien impresses Notre Dame football after returning fully healthy
That doesn't mean there's a good bet that the young defender will earn a starting spot, as he's been practicing mostly with the second team so far. Of course, that's not a statement on O'Brien's talent so much as a statement on the talent of the players ahead of him. Both Adon Shuler and Brauntae Johnson look locked in as the starters for the 2026 season barring injury.
On the other hand, defensive backs coach Aaron Henry talked on Saturday about how he's trying to adjust to the new 5-for-5 eligibility rules by working on the freshmen, including O'Brien, Ayden Pouncey, Khary Adams and Chaz Smith into a defensive back rotation.
After practice, one of the guys Joey O'Brien is competing against, Brauntae Johnson, said he was plenty impressed with the former Pennsylvania prep standout.
"Another guy I see, he kind of reminds me of myself when I first came in as a freshman. Very raw athlete, but very talented," Johnson said. "Um, and it's just it's just a older brother, little brother relationship"
It's obviously far too early to know just where Joey O'Brien will fit into defensive coordinator Chris Ash's plans for the regular season at this point. However, it's clear the young safety has already impressed plenty around the Notre Dame football program.
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