Husker Doc Talk: Barret Liebentritt — From Notre Dame to Nebraska

Before finishing his college career in Lincoln, the home-grown Husker fullback walked on with the Irish. He has some behind-the-scenes stories from South Bend to share — and much more.

Barret Liebentritt had a front-row seat to Brian Kelly's exit from Notre Dame. | Doc Talk Sports

The Husker Doc Talk Podcast with Travis Justice and Dr. Rob Zatechka welcomes a guest Husker fans are going to enjoy: former Nebraska fullback Barret Liebentritt.

Before the interview even starts, the guys go on a classic Doc Talk tangent—this time sparked by Rob sending Travis a “strange times, strange places” text… from the campus of Grand View University in Des Moines. That turns into a fun (and surprisingly informative) conversation about NAIA athletics, wrestling weekends, and why Rob is basically fluent in Olympic and Big Ten wrestling while Travis is… not.

Then it’s time for the main event: Barret’s journey from being a Husker fan who wanted Nebraska first, to landing at Notre Dame during the weirdest recruiting era imaginable—COVID. Barret explains what it was like to choose a high-level football path without camps, visits, or the normal recruiting process… and how his first real look at Notre Dame’s facilities happened when he literally showed up for school.

From there, Barret gets candid about the reality of being a walk-on at Notre Dame, the culture divide between scholarship guys and walk-ons under Brian Kelly, and the “wait… that’s it?” moment when Kelly left for LSU—an exit Barret says felt abrupt, cold, and very “business first.” On the flip side, he shares why Marcus Freeman made such a strong impression and why players were fired up when Freeman took over.

The heart of the episode is Barret’s decision to come back home. He breaks down what pulled him to Nebraska—Matt Rhule’s vision, the idea of using a true fullback, and the chance to wear the N. The conversation expands into the modern state of college football: NIL, the portal, roster limits, and whether development-first coaching can still win in today’s “plug-and-play” world.

And because this is Husker Doc Talk, you also get a ton of personality: ACT score trash talk, “stab lab” stories from dental school, beer-at-10-a.m. debate, and Barret’s future plans as he pursues dentistry at UNMC—plus the sobering reality of the injury that ended his playing career early.

It’s funny, real, and packed with insight on football, life, and the changing college landscape—pretty much what Doc Talk does best.

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