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Football How good is freshman walk-on safety Luke Talich? Safeties coach Chris O'Leary weighs in

Eric Hansen

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Dec 31, 2021
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I know several of you were high on this guy from the start, so consider yourselves ahead of the curve.

Just got back from post-practice player/assistant coach interviews a little bit ago. Today was safety day.

And I asked Chris O’Leary about freshman walk-on safety Luke Talich, who continues to impress during the media viewing periods of practice.

Talich is listed at 6-foot-4, 198 and is from Cody, Wyo., and he turned down three Power 5 scholarship offers and several FCS and Group of 5 offers to walk on at Notre Dame.

“We had to recruit him really hard,” O’Leary said of the former Rivals three-star prospect. “We talked to him every night leading up to signing day. And he called us the night before signing day and said he’s going to bet on himself, because he wanted to be here and be a part of this culture and this program.

“He made that decision, and we’re fired up, going crazy when he told us that.”

The enthusiasm hasn’t faded.

Through the first 11 practices of preseason training camp, here’s what O’Leary said the Irish have in Talich:

“A bright future,” he said. “A really high ceiling.

“He’s a freak. He’s 6-4, and he’s about as fast as you can get back there. He’s just learning the defense and figuring it all out right now. He’s getting stronger. But what he has in his skill set, he can be how ever good he wants.”

How soon might that translate to the field?

“Definitely next year, no doubt next year, but this year potentially special teams and all that. He needs to get stronger right now. He might weigh like 200 right now. He probably needs to be like 210, but he’ll help us soon, whether it’s next year or sometime soon.”

Talich won state titles this past spring at the Wyoming state track and field meet in the 100-meter dash (10.74), 200 (21.85) and long jump (22-11). The last time he didn’t finish first in any of those events was at the Wyoming state meet his junior year, in 2022. He took second place in all three at that meet.

Both of his parents played college sports, and his older brother, Nic, is a linebacker at Wyoming.

I also asked O’Leary about freshman walk-on wide receiver Jordan Faison, whose speed freshman QB Kenny Minchey was raving about the other day.

“He’s a good player,” O’Leary said of the 5-10, 182-pounder, who also plans to play for the ND men’s lacrosse team. “He’s electric in the slot. He’s shifty. He gets around you quickly, great hands, and he’s a football player. So, we feel the same way about him — he’s going to help us at some point.”

 
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