Joey O’Brien still plans to make a pair of official visits, but the four-star safety from Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High already has a decision date in mind. O’Brien revealed Wednesday he plans to make a commitment announcement on June 20.
O’Brien, who will be a senior in the fall, is focused on four schools ahead of his decision: Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon and Penn State.
O’Brien made his first official visit to Penn State on May 16-18 and made his second official visit to Clemson this past weekend. He’ll wrap up his official visit this coming weekend at Oregon and the following weekend at Notre Dame, he told Inside ND Sports. O’Brien previously planned to visit Tennessee the weekend of June 13, but he moved his Notre Dame visit, which was previously slated for June 20, to that weekend.
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All four of O’Brien’s finalists appear to be legitimate contenders heading into his decision. He’s become one of the most coveted defensive back recruits in the country with his interception-laden performance on the OT7 circuit of 7-on-7.
Rivals ranks O’Brien as the No. 7 safety and No. 136 overall in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound athlete could play cornerback or even wide receiver in college as well. He recorded 36 tackles, 13 pass breakups and one interception last season for La Salle. He also caught 68 passes for 1,029 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Notre Dame was the first of his four finalists to offer O’Brien a scholarship. The Irish did so on St. Patrick’s Day in March 2024 as part of its Pot of Gold Day recruiting event. His official visit to Notre Dame will be his fifth recruiting visit to South Bend. He'll be on campus for his official visit alongside La Salle teammate Grayson McKeogh, a four-star offensive tackle in the 2026 class who's also scheduled for an official visit to Notre Dame that weekend.
Penn State offered O’Brien in April 2024, but he’d already visited campus as earlier as 2022. The Nittany Lions, with at least seven visits, have hosted O’Brien more than any other program.
O’Brien made his first visit to Oregon this past April after receiving a scholarship offer from the Ducks in September of last year. Clemson offered O’Brien on Feb. 1, and he’s visited the Tigers twice since then.
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