On the heels of Luke Talich's breakout game for Notre Dame, there's at least a bit of concern that he might be banged up.
Towards the end of the blowout win over Michigan State, the safety was spotted walking off into the locker room early. He didn't return to the field during the game. The question now is whether the safety didn't return because he wasn't needed or because he couldn't come back.
Talich was already getting the kind of playing time he did in the last two games for Notre Dame because the starter, Brauntae Johnson, suffered an injury in the first game of the season. Since stepping into a starter's role, the former preferred walk-on has played as well as any safety in the country.
Against the Spartans, he had both a sack and an interception and is helping a secondary that's among the best in the country hold down every team's passing attack. If he is banged up and can't play next week, the Irish have plenty of depth at the position, but at some point, they'll run out of bodies to plug and play.
Notre Dame football faces Luke Talich injury uncertainty ahead of Purdue matchup
So far, Notre Dame hasn't said whether Talich is hurt or whether whatever caused him to head to the locker room early might mean he'll miss the Week 4 contest.
That contest against Purdue might not strike fear into the hearts of Notre Dame fans, but there's no doubt that the Boilermakers have an offense that can put up points. Despite being just 1-2 on the season, Barry Odom's squad has scored 44, 36, and 38 points. It's their defense that has been their Achilles' heel so far in 2026, as they've allowed 38 and 52 points in their last two games.
Should Luke Talich be hurt and miss the game against Purdue, it looks like the "next man up" would be true freshman Joey O'Brien. While he's gotten plenty of interest and attention this year, he hasn't seen the field all that much yet.
He saw the field the most in the Week 2 showdown against Rice when he tallied 15 snaps. On Saturday night, he got just 6 snaps. If Notre Dame has to move him into a starting spot (also assuming Johnson isn't ready to return), it would certainly be a big jump in playing time. Granted, O'Brien has the kind of talent that had coaches talking about giving him more field time than he's gotten so far this season.
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