5-Star Safety Joey O’Brien commits to the Irish

He’s kind of a big deal

Notre Dame football recruiting is on a little bit of a bender right now, and it’s in the best of ways. In a ceremony at his high school, 5-Star Safety Joey O’Brien gave his public commitment to Marcus Freeman and the 2026 Notre Dame Football Recruiting class.

The 6’4” 180 pound safety from La Salle College High School in Genside, Pennsylvania, chose the Irish over the Penn State Nittany Lions, Clemson Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes — and you get the point. Eevryone wanted this kid.

From 247:

Lanky perimeter playmaker with the athleticism and ball skills to make an impact wherever he lines up at the next level. Viewed by some college coaches as a defensive back and others as a wide receiver, but ceiling appears to be highest as a coverage ace that can shade passing windows and create takeaways, which he has done time and time again at marquee 7-on-7 events. Mature field awareness and zone discipline constantly shows up on defense. Might lack the desired foot speed for an outside alignment on Saturdays, but can swallow up assignments with a frame that’s pushing 6-foot-4 and will fight with his hands positioning. Has also proven to be a willing participant in run support despite being a bit slender. As a pass catcher, can quickly flip the field for an offense as he gets vertical and makes acrobatic grabs over opponents. Needs some seasoning as a route runner, but is an overall smooth mover with easy acceleration that can go up and attack the football. Overall, should be viewed as one of the more unique prospects in the 2026 cycle given the fact that he could fit into a variety of different roles for a College Football Playoff contender. Lack of testing data yields an incomplete evaluation, but can rock the rim on the hardwood and has consistently turned heads in best-on-best settings.

O’Brien is the 19th commitment for the Irish and the third from the state of Pennsylvania. The Irish currently have the #2 ranked class in the country according to the 247 Team Composite Rankings. He is also the second 5-Star ranked player in this class for Notre Dame.

First and foremost, JOB is a safety — but that doesn’t mean the Irish will ONLY see him on the defensive side of the ball. Joey is an excellent wide receiver, and there have been conversations about him getting a crack at offense as well.

Obviosly this is another HUGE recruiting win for Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman — and it’s another win via a dagger in the heart of James Franklin. Just the thought of Ayden Pouncey and Joey O’Brien playing together in the secondary is enough to get a fan pumped up, but it’s the overall collection of players in this class that is really starting to shine brightly.

WELCOME TO ND JOEY!