Latest Intel on five-star athlete Joey O’Brien as Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and Clemson battle it out heading toward commitment day
When you talk about the most unique players in the 2026 recruiting class, Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College star athlete Joey O'Brien is usually on the shortlist. A diverse and dynamic athlete, O’Brien has been one of the most heavily pursued overall players in the country. He is busy making his rounds on an extremely busy […]
When you talk about the most unique players in the 2026 recruiting class, Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College star athlete Joey O'Brien is usually on the shortlist. A diverse and dynamic athlete, O’Brien has been one of the most heavily pursued overall players in the country. He is busy making his rounds on an extremely busy visit schedule in June.
With more official visits lined up in the future, O’Brien now has a firm commitment date on the books. He is going to make his college decision on June 20th, choosing between finalists Notre Dame, Oregon, Clemson, and Penn State.
A priority recruit for the Fighting Irish, and has been for some time, they are in the homestretch to try and land the Pennsylvania star. For a while this has been viewed as a Notre Dame-Penn State battle, and both schools are very firmly in the top three of that list right now. There is an increased feeling from various sources, however, that Clemson may actually be the leader as of now.
If the decision was made today, I don’t believe that the Irish would be the selection. In fact, I’m not sure they would be in the top two either. I believe both Clemson and Penn State hold a slight lead over Notre Dame as it currently stands, with Oregon running a distance fourth.
The Pennsylvania native was originally supposed to visit the weekend of the 20th for his official visit, but that will be moved ahead one week. Instead of taking the trip down to check out the Tennessee Volunteers, O’Brien will be heading to South Bend on the 13-15 for the official visit. That will be the last chance for the Fighting Irish to make their case, and try to vault over the Tigers and Nittany Lions.
If we have learned anything about head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, they won’t go out quietly. The full court press will continue on O’Brien, and we will see if they can pull a slight upset later this month.
O’Brien is rated as five-star, the No. 30 overall player, the No. 4 safety, and the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania in the 2026 class by 247Sports. Some see O’Brien as a safety, and others at wide receiver, while Notre Dame values him at the cornerback position. At 6-4 and 190 pounds, he is a tremendous athlete that brings a lot of upside to the table.
On top of his finalists, O'Brien has put together a long list of impressive offers. Some of the top programs that have offered him include Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, Michigan State, Missouri, Syracuse, West Virginia, Stanford, Boston College, UCLA, Duke, Indiana, and Illinois among many, many others.
As a junior in 2024, O'Brien put together a tremendous campaign for La Salle. On defense, he collected 36 total tackles, one interception, and 13 pass breakups. O'Brien was even better on offense, where he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown for some added fun.
Notre Dame football makes a huge move with a Texas speedster, and there is now one more opportunity to close for the Fighting Irish
Notre Dame closing quickly on dynamic 2026 speedster
