SOUTH BEND — Luke Talich's freshman season may have been prematurely ended after breaking his collarbone in November, but that didn't keep him from becoming a desirable walk-on safety for Notre Dame football and securing a full scholarship. I couldn't.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman made the announcement after the first session of spring practice on March 7th.
“That was something we talked about when recruiting him,” Freeman said. “He was a scholarship guy who had a lot of scholarship offers.”
Talich, Wyoming's top-ranked recruit for the 2023 cycle, has options for Oregon State, Washington State, Utah and the Cowboys, who are based in Laramie, about a five-and-a-half hour drive from Talich's hometown of Cody (Pops). I had an offer from. 10,174).
Taric's older brother, Nick, was a backup linebacker at the University of Wyoming, a position his father (Jim) and uncle also played. Jim Talich, who coached his sons at Cody High School, recorded 440 career tackles at the University of Wyoming from 1994-97.
Luke's mother, Jen Talich, played volleyball at Montana State University.
Benjamin Morrison:Former Notre Dame football teammates predict big things for Benjamin Morrison in 2024
“Our conversation was, 'Hey, you came to Notre Dame, and it looks like you're still on scholarship after a year,'” Freeman recalled. “It was actually one semester, so we gave him a scholarship. He earned it.”
Luke Tarich, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs 210 pounds, also broke his collarbone during his sophomore season. The injury last season reportedly occurred during practice when Taric was diving for an interception.
A three-sport standout, Taric also played high school basketball and track and field, running the 100 meters in 10.8 seconds. Taric is a two-way quarterback who passed for 1,684 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 582 yards as a senior.
Taric appeared in nine games (72 total plays) last season while carving out a niche on special teams. In Game 4 against Central Michigan, Taric was very effective with 15 plays in kickoff coverage and punt returns, earning the trust of special teams coordinator Marty Biagi. .
“It started with, 'Hey, you're going to be in one (unit) and we'll see how you perform,'” Biagi said last fall. “And I was like, 'No, I need this piece.'
Taric finished the year with three total tackles on special teams. Taric joins recent transfers such as current tight end Davis Sherwood and wideouts Matt Salerno and Chris Finke in transitioning from walk-on to scholarship status at Notre Dame.
With starting safety DJ Brown moving on after six seasons, Ramon Henderson and Antonio Carter II leaving via the transfer portal, and Biagi relocating this spring to help coach safeties, Taric There should be more chances for him to rise to the deep charts.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and is active on social media @MikeBerardino.
