Notre Dame showing strong interest in rising 2026 safety Joey O'Brien
March 7 won’t go down as Notre Dame’s biggest recruiting day of the spring, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an important one.
Glenside (Pa.) La Salle College class of 2026 safety Joey O’Brien was on campus this past Thursday to see the Irish’s first spring practice. While he’s not a national prospect with a robust offer list just yet, getting O’Brien to South Bend this early was important. The Irish staff is very interested in O’Brien, who is likely to see his recruiting process skyrocket in the coming weeks and months.
A few weeks ago, new Notre Dame director of recruiting Dre Brown invited O’Brien for a spring practice, and the 6-4, 180-pounder jumped on the opportunity to visit campus.
“There were a lot of cool things that happened on the visit,” O’Brien told Blue & Gold. “From watching practice, seeing the facilities and riding around the campus with Carter Auman — I could feel the energy of the whole school. While watching the players compete at practice, it showed me how hard you need to work at this level.”
Watching the Irish practice was a highlight of the trip.
“It was intense and high paced,” continued O’Brien. “Since it was the first spring practice, the players were really excited to get back out there. The defensive backs looked very good. They were moving fast and being physical.”
O’Brien spent his time with with Brown, player personnel director Chad Bowden and Auman, a recruiting associate for Notre Dame.
“I also had meetings with Coach [Marcus] Freeman, Coach [Mike] Mickens, and Coach [Al] Golden throughout the day,” O’Brien added. “Everything went well, and they talked to me about how I could fit in perfectly at this program.”
At this point, the Irish have yet to offer O’Brien but will continue to keep in contact with the soon-to-be junior. He currently holds two offers — coming from Duke and Toledo — and both scholarships occurred this calendar year. Notre Dame will keep close tabs on O’Brien.
“I had a great discussion with Coach Freeman about what a Notre Dame offer would entail,” said O’Brien. “There are exciting things to come about on that later.”
O’Brien plans to visit Syracuse March 28 and Florida State likely in the summer.
During his sophomore season, O’Brien totaled 68 tackles, 3 interceptions, 18 pass break ups and 1 sack. Offensively, he had 24 receptions for 339 yards with 3 touchdowns.
Last summer, O’Brien impressed at the OT7 National 7v7 tournament.
“He was a ballhawk all week, snaring four interceptions by our count,” wrote On3’s Charles Power. “O’Brien has advanced ball skills and good size at this very early stage of his high school career.”
