Report: Colorado transfer guard Luke O’Brien to visit Notre Dame
Notre Dame men’s basketball will host a graduate transfer from Colorado, according to a report from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein. Luke O’Brien, a 6-foot-8 guard who started 19 games for the Buffaloes this past season, told Rothstein that he’ll visit the Irish this week.
O’Brien will also visit Georgia Tech, he told Rothstein.
After committing to Colorado as an unheralded high school recruit out of Littleton (Colo.) Columbine, O’Brien played four years with the Buffaloes and saw his minutes increase each season. He scored a career-high 6.7 points per game as a senior in 2023-24, and he averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
O’Brien shot 37.6 percent from three-point range this past season, going 32 of 85. He’s a career 35.0 percent shooter from beyond the arc, as well as 44.0 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from the free throw line. He’s been a more prolific rebounder in the past, averaging 5.6 boards per game throughout the 2022-23 season as a junior.
The veteran guard entered the transfer portal on March 27, and he’s currently the No. 482 transfer and No. 104 shooting guard in this year’s cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. On3 itself does not have O’Brien ranked in its top-300 overall players, but it slots him as the No. 83 shooting guard.
“These last 4 years have been extremely special to me,” O’Brien said in a statement titled “Forever a Buffalo” on Instagram on March 25. “Being a kid, March Madness was the reason I fell in love with this sport and I wanted nothing more than to play college basketball because of it. I had a lot of highs and lows here, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I still got more basketball in me, but I wanted to say it was an absolute blessing to represent my state and put on that Colorado jersey for four years. I will cherish all the memories I made and I will be forever grateful to be a Buff.”
O’Brien took advantage of his first opportunity to play real minutes in March Madness this past season (he played in garbage time in Colorado’s run to the second round in 2021, when he was a freshman). He was an important complementary player for the Buffaloes as they beat Boise State in the Sweet 16 and Florida in the Round of 64.
Against the Gators, O’Brien scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Notre Dame has a need for a tall guard who can rebound and make shots after losing freshman forward Carey Booth to the transfer portal. O’Brien would also be a veteran presence on an overwhelmingly young Notre Dame team looking to take the next step.
