S Luke Talich Looking to Earn Trust of Notre Dame Staff With Attacking Mindset
Notre Dame safety Luke Talich chose to bet on himself when deciding where he would play his college ball.
The Wyoming native held offers from Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, Utah, Washington State, Weber State and Wyoming, but in the end, Talich chose to walk-on at Notre Dame.
“Recruiting was kind of a wild ride for me,” Talich explained. “I had a few scholarship offers out west, but I always loved Notre Dame when I was a little kid. So I just figured when I got that preferred walk-on opportunity, I just didn't want to regret not taking it.”
The decision paid off quickly as Marcus Freeman let Talich know he would be on scholarship before his freshman season was complete.
There wasn’t a big show or Social Media push to capture the moment, which was more than fine with the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder.
“Coach Freeman actually told me when we were in El Paso,” Talich said. “He let me know the news I was going to be on scholarship for the next semester. It was super awesome and I’m grateful for that. It was on the down low, but I liked it that way. I wasn’t too worried about it.”
In fact, Talich and his family kept the news close to the vest as Freeman’s announcement during a March press conference caught the attention of several folks across the country.
“I got a bunch of texts from a bunch of people, which was super cool,” stated Talich. “I was appreciative of that, but yeah, nothing like major. It wasn't like a big deal.”
As a freshman, Talich saw action in eight games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the year. He’s healthy now and has delivered more than a few big hits during spring ball.
“I've been rehabbing like crazy,” explained Talich. “I'm feeling good as far as spring ball goes. I had a little bit of a minor thing at the beginning, just kind of adjusting to the impact in the game of football, getting in football shape with my shoulder. But as far as everything else, I feel pretty stable, and I'm ready to go.”
Talich mainly saw action in a special teams role, which he embraced as it was a chance to get a test of college football.
“Playing special teams last year was huge for me,” stated Talich. “It was getting my feet wet and getting used to the speed of the game and physicality on special teams. I was super grateful to get into the game and be part of that. It was awesome.”
Filling a role on Marty Biagi’s special teams units also had the perks of being able to travel, but also fully take in the atmosphere at Notre Dame Stadium.
“It was insane just going out on the field in front of all those people,” Talich said. “It was just insane. I'm used to playing in front of like 1,000 people. To play in front of 70,000 or whatever it is, I got goosebumps. I get goosebumps every time I go on the field for the first play. It's just a very surreal feeling, and it was definitely a dream of mine.”
When it comes to his sophomore campaign, Talich is now looking to earn more playing time at safety with DJ Brown, Antonio Carter II, Thomas Harper and Ramon Henderson gone.
“I’m just hoping to bring physicality,” Talich explained. “I want them to trust me to do my assignment. I think that’s really the biggest thing. Just having trust in me. That’s what I’m working on and learning stuff every day.”
And when it comes to Notre Dame’s defense as a whole, Talich and his teammates have high expectations for 2024.
“We’re going to play fast,” said Talich. “We’re going to be physical. We have a lot of different things that we’re going to do. We’re just going to attack.”
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