Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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60 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY MIKE SINGER Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College class of 2026 defensive back Joey O'Brien committed to Notre Dame June 20, end- ing a back-and-forth, highly competi- tive recruitment. Clemson, Penn State and Oregon were the other schools un- der consideration. Notre Dame got his last official visit. He was in town from June 13-15, and he noted that he knew he'd end up pick- ing the Irish about 24 to 48 hours after that trip. But even after it clicked inter- nally that Notre Dame was his choice, he wanted even more time to sleep on it. He called the Irish staff June 18 to privately commit. The visit made a big impact on O'Brien. "Hanging out with the class and play- ers was key," O'Brien told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "That's who you're going to be playing and working with. You do ev- erything with your teammates. I wanted to find a good group of guys like that, and the coaches are all great. "Coach [Mike] Mickens is going to develop me, especially with Coach [Marcus] Freeman being a defensive- minded head coach." There were twists and turns as other programs emerged, but Notre Dame was considered the early team to beat for O'Brien. "After every official visit I went on, that became my No. 1 school," said O'Brien, who saw Penn State, Clemson and Oregon prior to his Notre Dame of- ficial visit. "I would be set on going there and wanted to commit after the visit. That's the type of person I am. I feel like I could fit in at any of the schools in my top group. I had a great time on my visits." His original plan was to officially visit Tennessee June 13 and Notre Dame June 20 with a commitment date some- time in the summer. But O'Brien can- celed the trip to Knoxville and moved up his South Bend trip a week. And that's the best development that could have happened for the Fighting Irish. He was one of 21 official visitors in town June 13, including the four other defensive back recruits on Notre Dame's board (all of whom are now committed to the Irish). "It's crazy how it worked out," O'Brien explained. "Notre Dame was originally going to be that last weekend, and I truly think that if I didn't go the week before, I may not have committed there. I wouldn't have hung out with all those guys and got that feeling when I was there. "I was set on Oregon after my official visit there. I was thinking, 'Notre Dame has been there since the beginning — let me be respectful, give them their visit and I'll go to Oregon after.' But literally, the first night on my Notre Dame OV, it all changed. I was like, 'Wow, this place is amazing.'" He got on a group Face- Time video chat call with head coach Marcus Free- man, defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, defensive backs assistant Jevaughn Codlin and defensive coor- dinator Chris Ash to deliver the news of his decision. " T h e y we re a l l re - ally excited," O'Brien re- called. "They didn't know for sure if I was going to commit. They were very relieved and so happy I chose them. Then they all gave me a talk about how it's the right decision." If it was so close down the stretch of his recruit- ment, it's fair to wonder how O'Brien will manage his recruitment the next several months ahead of National Signing Day. "I think there's one school that might keep trying with me — Oregon," he said. "But I don't think I'll visit anywhere else. It'll be fine." There's been plenty of talk about the nation's No. 3 safety and No. 47 over- all player per Rivals potentially playing both sides of the ball at the college level. O'Brien weighed in on where things stand regarding that. "That's my expectation," he said. "Coach Freeman, Coach [Mike] Brown, Coach Gino [Guidugli] and everyone on the offensive staff believe that if I wasn't playing DB, then I could be a D1 receiver. That's what they keep telling me. I run all the routes, I'm fast, can catch, and Notre Dame hasn't had a fade ball re- ceiver in a while. They think I would be perfect there. They've said there will be a couple packages for me — if I'm ready." O'Brien was a MaxPreps Junior All- American second-team selection on defense and a Pennsylvania Class 6 All- State pick at wide receiver following a highly productive 2024 campaign. He pulled down 68 passes for a single-sea- son school-record 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense and contributed 36 tackles, 13 passes broken up and 1 interception on defense. ✦ COMMITMENT PROFILE JOEY O'BRIEN FILM ANALYSIS "One of the more dominant two-way players in the country at receiver and defensive back, Joey O'Brien has some of the best ball skills of any player nationally. His skill set is that of a true middle-of-the-field ballhawk who can function down in the box or even as a man defender out of the slot or boundary. "He has absurd size and length for the po- sition, standing nearly 6-foot-5 with almost 33-inch arms — he looks like an albatross standing out in the middle of the field." — Rivals national scout Cody Bellaire Notre Dame Wins Highly Competitive Recruitment For Two-Way Pennsylvania Standout O'Brien, the nation's No. 3 safety and No. 47 overall player per Rivals, committed to Notre Dame over Clemson, Penn State and Oregon in June. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER