Organization Logo

Notre Dame

player headshot

Purdue

Rice

Football

Pennsylvania

Profile Image

team image

Brookhaven

Mississippi

Scholarship traits at the Group of 5 level, with the tools to earn Power 4 looks as you develop.

Group of 5

Milton

Georgia

Joe T. Robinson

Little Rock

Arkansas

Lubbock-Cooper

Lubbock

Wide Receiver

Texas

Plano

Illinois

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Notre Dame football social media team is not the only one suggesting that Joey O’Brien will be in the plans this fall.  On

joey o'brien

Blue and Gold Football

Blue and Gold

How Notre Dame freshman safety Joey O’Brien's emergence is becoming impossible to ignore

With less than 100 days remaining until the start of the 2026 college football season, rosters across the country are beginning to take shape.

ESPN, Newcomers, Tucker, Football

On3 Football

ESPN ranks college football's top 100 newcomers for 2026 season

Notre Dame freshman safety Joey O'Brien, who left the Blue-Gold Game on crutches this past Saturday, underwent surgery on his left leg. However, he

Joey O'Brien injury update: Latest on five-star Notre Dame freshman safety

Of course, Joey O'Brien wants to play right away.  Everyone does, particularly those with a fifth star next to their name. If he didn't, Notre Dame

In stacked Notre Dame safety room, five-star freshman Joey O'Brien content to wait his turn

This story appears in the 2026 Notre Dame football recruiting issue of Blue & Gold Illustrated. Click here to get your copy!  Joey O’Brien’s

Joey O'Brien

Blue and Gold Football Recruiting

How Notre Dame five-star safety Joey O'Brien found calm at the finish

joey-obrien-notre-dame-football-recruiting-1-on3.jpg

joey-obrien-notre-dame-football-recruiting-on3.jpg

Joey O'Brien On3.png

2026 ATH Joey O'Brien. (Kyle Kelly/Blue & Gold)

Joey-O'Brien-02.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-01.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-04.jpeg

Joey O'Brien.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-05.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-Top-1.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-Top-2.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-Top-3.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-Top-5.jpeg

Joey-O'Brien-Top-4.jpeg

joey-obrien-penn-state-football-recruiting-on3.jpg

joey-obrien-penn-state-football-recruiting-1-on3.jpg

Joey O'brien 1 copy 1.jpg

Notre Dame defensive back recruit Joey O'Brien

Notre Dame defensive back recruit Joey O'Brien.

Joey O'Brien copy 1.jpg

Indiana

La Salle College

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Safety

Penn State

Not enough on film yet to project a level. Add more game film and verified measurables to unlock a full projection.

Undetermined

A developmental projection today — keep adding film, measurables, and reps, and your evaluation grows with your game.

D-III / Dev

Scholarship-caliber traits for Division II and NAIA programs, with room to climb through continued development.

D-II / NAIA

Scholarship traits at the FCS level, with room to climb through continued development and film.

Starter-caliber traits for a Power 4 program (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC). Squarely on major-conference radars.

Power 4

Blue-chip traits — a high-priority Power 4 target with the tools to contribute early at the highest level.

Blue Chip

The top of the scale — national-caliber talent that every major program pursues, with a clear NFL trajectory.

Elite / Top 100

Tall safety with elite instincts and ball skills. Measured at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds with 32.5-inch arms and 9.75-inch hands at Rivals Five-Star before his senior season. A two-way star at the high school level, showing his playmaking ability as a safety and wide receiver. One of the more dominant players we’ve seen on the 7-on-7 circuit over the years. Has elite coverage instincts. Seems to see routes before they develop. Jumps passes and comes down with remarkable interceptions. An absolute menace when defending intermediate routes over the middle of the field. Has sticky hands, making him a walking turnover. Smart player who understands how defenses work. Showing encouraging physicality as a senior. Doubles as a good high school basketball player. Lacks recent verified speed, but showed good play speed in man coverage against top wide receivers on the camp circuit. Will benefit from time in a college strength program, as he will need to add mass and strength. Playmaking ability and instincts make him one of the top safeties in a deep cycle at the position. 

Recruiting Board

Rivals

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Schedule

College Football Scores

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Sports Predictions

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Alabama

Arizona State

WildcatAuthority

Arizona Football Forum

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Test

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia Tech

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

KSBoard

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Terrapin Insider Forum

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Pittsburgh

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

Year	Team	GP	TOT	SOLO	AST	PD	SACKS	TFL	FF	INT
2026	ND	2	7	2	5	0	0.5	0	0	0
Career		2	7	2	5	0	0.5	0	0	0

Date	Opponent	Result	TOT	SOLO	AST	PD	SACKS	TFL	FF	INT
Sep 26	PUR	W 49-10	5	1	4	0	0.5	0	0	0
Sep 12	RICE	W 52-0	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0

Joey O'Brien

2026 Season Stats

Ratings

Career Stats

Game Log

Film

Latest News

Latest News

Photos

Contacts