Elite DB Joey O'Brien commits to Notre Dame football

The Notre Dame football program secured a monumental win on the recruiting trail Friday, earning a verbal commitment from prized defensive back Joey O’Brien.

O’Brien announced his decision at his high school, Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College, just five days after leaving South Bend following his official visit. The rising senior chose Notre Dame over Oregon, Clemson and Penn State, all schools he also visited officially.

“Just going on that official visit with the people there, the whole place, how they develop you and that degree you get there, it holds so much wealth in that degree,” O’Brien told On3 vice president of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong. “I feel like my older self (would be mad at me) if I didn’t take that chance to get into Notre Dame because not everyone can.”

He is the second recruit to pledge to the Irish on Friday, joining Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield four-star cornerback Khary Adams. O’Brien and Adams are two of the top recruits in the 2026 cycle, ranking as the No. 40 and No. 67 overall players in the nation, respectively, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

Earlier in the week, Notre Dame received a commitment from O’Brien’s teammate, four-star offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh, the No. 278 overall player and No. 21 offensive tackle in the class. Like O’Brien, McKeogh was on campus last weekend. With these additions, the Irish’s 2026 class now features 19 commits.

Ranked as the No. 5 safety in the country and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, O’Brien has the potential to become the highest-ranked safety prospect to sign with Notre Dame since Mission Viejo (Calif.) High five-star Max Redfield in 2012. Redfield was the No. 29 overall player and No. 5 safety in his class.

Before O’Brien’s commitment, former Irish safety Kyle Hamilton held that distinction. Coming out of Atlanta Marist School, Hamilton was the No. 62 overall player and No. 5 safety in his class. The 6-4, 180-pound O’Brien closely compares to Hamilton, who measured 6-3, 190 pounds in high school.

Like Hamilton, O’Brien brings a versatile skill set to South Bend and has the pedigree to contribute immediately. While On3 projects him as a safety, he could also see snaps at cornerback or nickel. Additionally, O’Brien could play on offense after meeting with wide receivers coach Mike Brown during his official visit.

Last season, the Philadelphia Catholic League named O’Brien MVP for his two-way dominance. In 11 games, he recorded 36 tackles, 13 pass breakups and 1 interception, also earning second-team defense All-America honors from MaxPreps. On offense, he excelled with 68 catches for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Notre Dame offered O’Brien a scholarship on March 17, 2024, during its St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event. Over the last 15 months, he visited campus unofficially four times. His strong connections with the coaching staff helped establish Notre Dame as the favorite in his recruitment last spring.

“Just Coach (Marcus) Freeman,” O’Brien told On3 vice president of recruiting and transfer portal Steve Wiltfong in the spring. “I have a great relationship with Coach Freeman. Just the brotherhood there—you can see the culture. The coaches and players get along. Everybody on campus, it’s a big family.”

Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens served as O’Brien’s primary recruiter. Mickens has assembled an elite defensive back class for 2026, which includes four-star safety Ayden Pouncey (No. 13 safety nationally) from Winter Park (Fla.) High and four-star cornerback Chaston Smith (No. 26 cornerback nationally) from Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic. Pouncey plans to start his career at cornerback.

“He develops players, and if you’re good and ready to play, he’ll play you,” O’Brien said of Mickens. “He knows what he’s talking about. I was listening to him, and he’s a really smart dude.”

Notre Dame director of recruiting Carter Auman also played a major role in O’Brien’s recruitment.

“Carter Auman is the best recruiter out there, man,” O’Brien’s father told Blue & Gold. “He’s a great kid. We think the world of him. It’s just great people there at Notre Dame.

The Joey O’Brien file

In addition to his four finalists, O’Brien reported scholarship offers from 20 other Power Four programs, including Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, and Miami.

His first offer came from Duke in January 2024 after a breakout sophomore season that earned him All-Catholic Red Division first-team honors. Notre Dame extended its offer two months later, becoming the third school to do so.

O’Brien was also named first-team all-state by PA Football News after his junior season. He followed his impressive football campaign with a stellar basketball season, earning second-team all-conference honors.

Athleticism runs in the O’Brien family. Taylor O’Brien, played women’s basketball at Bucknell and later as a graduate transfer at Florida State. His other sister, Jordan O’Brien, competed in track and field at Saint Joseph’s University and Florida Atlantic.