Notre Dame jumpstarts weekend, adds 2nd elite DB with 5-star prospect out of Pennsylvania
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Notre Dame is firing on all cylinders for the 2026 recruiting class, and Marcus Freeman has the Fighting Irish firmly in the mix to be the top overall recruiting class in the country.
On Friday, things received a big jolt with a couple of elite defensive back commitments. The first of the evening came from Khary Adams, the No. 9 cornerback in the entire country and a top-100 prospect for the cycle.
Then, it was Joey O’Brien, a major safety prospect out of La Salle College in Glenside, Pennsylvania. O’Brien’s commitment came live on 247 Sports, and he had hats from Clemson, Oregon and Penn State on the table prior to his commitment to Notre Dame.
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Listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, O’Brien received a 5-star rating from 247 Sports. The composite has O’Brien as a 4-star recruit and the No. 6 safety in the entire country for the class of 2026. A multi-sport athlete, he’s also rated as the No. 65 player in the entire country, regardless of position.
O’Brien played both ways during the 2024 season, excelling as a wide receiver and as a defensive back. He’s the 19th hard commitment of the cycle for the Fighting Irish, and he’s one of the best of that group.
Only Rodney Durham, an elite edge prospect out of Charlotte, is rated higher than O’Brien by the composite. O’Brien is also the 4th player with a top-100 rating for Notre Dame and the 2nd of the day.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
