Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 APRIL/MAY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Jason Onye Undergoes Minor Hand Surgery Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced two spring surgeries April 1 after practice No. 6, both stemming from injuries suffered in spring practice. But neither is ex- pected to affect the Irish in the fall. Sixth-year senior defensive tackle Jason Onye suffered a "small fracture" in his hand, accord- ing to Freeman. He underwent surgery and may miss the rest of spring practice, but Notre Dame isn't sweating the returning starter's availability. "We put a pin in it," Freeman said. "I don't know if that keeps him out for spring, but it's nothing that we're overly concerned about. But he did have a fracture in his hand." Meanwhile, true freshman defensive back Nick Reddish suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder. He was scheduled to have surgery April 2, and he's expected to return in the com- ing months. "We've got to get that fixed and get him back for fall camp," Freeman said. As of now, Reddish is a likely redshirt candidate in an extremely crowded defensive back room. He projects as a nickel back for Notre Dame in the future. Onye is expected to be a key player for the Irish after an incredibly strong finish to his 2025 season, but again, Freeman isn't worried about his status for the fall. Aside from Onye and Reddish, Freeman explained, no new injuries have popped up in spring practice. "Other than that, we've been pretty healthy," Freeman said. "Just a couple minor things that happen when you practice football, but it's been a pretty healthy spring ball." Notre Dame entered spring practice with 18 pre-existing injuries, ranging from extremely minor to major surgeries that could affect the regular season. Freeman's only real update on those during his April 1 press conference concerned redshirt junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. Greathouse tweaked his hamstring shortly before spring practice began, which limited him throughout March. But Freeman said he's inching back toward his typical level of explosive- ness and agility. "Oh, yeah," Freeman said. "When he's out there, man, you know why Jaden Greathouse has been a huge playmaker for our program." However, Freeman said Notre Dame has to "continue to be smart" with Greathouse, who missed the final eight games of 2025 with a hamstring injury. He also had hamstring problems as a true freshman in 2023. "We can't just go from zero to 100," Freeman said. "And we all know that. He knows that. He wants to be out there every play, but we've got to be smart with his progression back." — Jack Soble Onye, a sixth-year senior defensive tackle, recently underwent surgery on his hand and may miss the rest of spring practice. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER continued from page 7 During a World Cup event in Switzerland, O'Brien and Meyers Taylor were involved in a terrifying crash. Fortunately, they emerged with minor scrapes, bumps and bruises. But Bauman, who was in attendance, said it was one of the scariest moments of his life. "I'm coming from a sport that's violent, in foot- ball, and having gone through some of the more traumatic things I've been through," Bauman said. "I've never experienced anything like that." Somehow, after a brief trip to the hospital, O'Brien and Meyers Taylor were able to race again that week. They finished 10th. "She's fearless," Bauman said. "She's really in a league of her own. It's incredible." The crash was far from the most difficult health- related episode O'Brien has overcome. She dealt with several injuries throughout college. And as a young child, between the ages of 5 and 10, she overcame an illness called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. Known as PANDAS, it occurs when a strep infec- tion causes psychiatric disorders such as obses- sive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. She told the Indianapolis Star that "terror" was something she felt every day until a doctor discov- ered what was going on and treated her. O'Brien went through hell to be where she is to- day, and that's something she and Bauman share. He went through a different kind of hell, but he said he and O'Brien absolutely lean on each other through difficult times. "That's one of the strongest things we have, is shared experienced in similar-ish worlds." Bauman said. "Although it's not something you want to be sharing, it comes in handy sometimes." One of those times was the aftermath of Bau- man's final knee injury. Along with another round of physical pain, Bau- man faced the realization that his Notre Dame foot- ball career was over — in many ways, before it could even get started. He had made it through just two healthy seasons: His redshirt year in 2020, and 2024. Contributing (mostly on special teams) to Notre Dame's run to the national title game was special, but coming off back-to-back ACL surger- ies, he wasn't the player he could have been. When he returned in 2025, Bauman had the best spring of his career. He had a real chance to play significant offensive snaps, only to have it stolen from him days into fall camp. Bauman said O'Brien was the reason he got through the ensuing weeks and months. "No matter how much I thank her, it will never be enough," Bauman said. "She had no business being able to give as much as she did, and she did it anyway." ✦