Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media on Tuesday with injury updates on safety Brauntae Johnson and defensive tackle Jason Onye following the team’s 41-13 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.

Both players left the game at Lambeau Field with lower-body injuries and were seen wearing boots on the sideline, raising concern among Fighting Irish fans. Freeman confirmed that both players will miss time, but neither injury is considered season-ending.

Johnson suffered a foot injury that is expected to sideline him for a couple of weeks. The expectation is that he returns on a shorter timeline, which is great news for Notre Dame fans who have to navigate a couple of easier weeks before the schedule ramps up against teams like BYU, Miami, and SMU.

Johnson was a breakout star for the Fighting Irish last season, becoming a mainstay and arguably one of the best overall safeties in college football.

With considerable 2027 NFL Draft hype and national attention surrounding him, it’s encouraging to hear he should return before the most important stretch of games. This was more of a preemptive measure, and Notre Dame expects to have its star coverman back for the portion of the season that matters most.

Jason Onye facing ankle surgery but targeting a return

Onye situation is more involved. The defensive tackle is dealing with an ankle injury that will require a slightly longer timeline of recovery, according to a source.

While that is unsettling news, he is also expected to avoid missing the entirety of the season. There’s a possibility, according to a separate source, that he could be back for the game against the Miami Hurricanes on Nov. 7.

The situation also carries personal significance for Onye, who fought to earn an extra year of eligibility this past offseason. After a lengthy process, he was granted that extra year and had a strong offseason by all accounts.

Defensive tackle depth should hold up

With Onye sidelined for the time being, expect to see a whole lot more of Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu mixing in with Armel Mukam, Elijah Hughes, and Sean Sevillano Jr. There was also a belief that Notre Dame could see Christopher Burgess factor in at some point in the middle of the season as well.

When all of those players are healthy and available, this has a chance to be a stellar defensive tackle room. The additions of Gray and Brewu add a stabilizing floor for a group that should remain very good, even with a couple of notable losses.

Notre Dame’s safety depth provides a cushion

Backtracking to Johnson, the saving grace is that Notre Dame’s safety group is incredibly deep for the short term. On top of Adon Shuler, Luke Talich came in and played a decent amount on the back end against Wisconsin.

True freshman five-star Joey O’Brien and sophomore Ethan Long are also candidates to see increased reps now on the back end for the Notre Dame defense. While the circumstances are unfortunate, the added playing time could end up bolstering the group’s depth for the stretch run.