4-star athlete Joey O'Brien down to six schools

Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College four-star athlete Joey O’Brien is one of the nation’s top playmakers. He’s continued to work through his recruitment this spring and now has a set group of schools at the top of his list.

O’Brien told On3’s Hayes Fawcett on Thursday that Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee are the six programs on top of his process.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder is now the No. 69 overall prospect and No. 2 athlete in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania.

O’Brien’s news comes ahead of a visit to Oregon this weekend. That trip to Eugene will come after visits to some of his finalists last month, including Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan. The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently favors the Fighting Irish at over 90 percent.

“It’s championship-level football and an opportunity to get a meaningful degree from a prestigious school,” O’Brien previously said of the Irish to On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

O’Brien has official visits locked in with each of his top schools barring Michigan. A June 20 OV to Ohio State was originally planned, but with the Buckeyes not cracking his top list, the Wolverines could potentially slide into that spot for the blue-chipper.

“Just that they win,” O’Brien said of what interests him about the Wolverines. “Their winning culture, you saw how they ended their season. That’s the biggest thing for me. I want to go to a winning program and that’s what they do. I think I’m going to take an official visit there.”

Officials to PSU (May 16), Clemson (May 30), Notre Dame (June 3), Oregon (June 6) and Tennessee (June 13) are on the horizon as O’Brien continues to work towards his commitment.

“I want to take my official visits and decide after those,” he said in January. “We still need to have conversations about things that haven’t been talked about yet. Until I have all the information I need I won’t be able to make a decision.”

A two-way star at the high school level, O’Brien was a star on both sides as a junior en route to earning PCL MVP Honors and First Team Offense and Defense. He had 36 tackles, 13 pass breakups and an interception. He also hauled in 68 receptions for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns.