Two Notre Dame commits claim spots on Rivals preseason All-America team

A pair of Notre Dame football pledges will enter the 2025 season with a noteworthy accolade. On Monday, Rivals national high school sports reporter Andy Villamarzo named linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. and safety Joey O’Brien preseason high school football All-Americans.

Matthews (N.C.) Weddington’s Davis and Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College’s O’Brien were among 38 players Villamarzo recognized. Only Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and USC had more commits honored than the Fighting Irish.

Davis and O’Brien are two of the more notable names on Notre Dame’s commit list, which ranks No. 4 nationally in the 2026 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. According to the Rivals Industry Player Rankings, O’Brien and Davis are four-star prospects who rank as the Nos. 34 and 214 overall recruits in the class, respectively.

Villamarzo listed O’Brien as a safety, though the 6-foot-4, 180-pounder could also have earned a spot on the preseason All-America team as a wide receiver. Last season for La Salle College, O’Brien caught 68 passes for 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, he posted 36 tackles (32 solo), 13 pass breakups and 1 interception. He ranks as the No. 4 safety nationally and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania.

“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,” Rivals national scout Cody Bellaire told Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer on June 20.

“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,” Bellaire continued. “He has absurd size and length for the position, standing nearly 6-foot-5 with almost 33-inch arms. He looks like an albatross standing out in the middle of the field.”

Davis owns the middle of the field at linebacker. The son of former 15-year NFL veteran and three-time Pro Bowler Thomas Davis Sr., he is the No. 8 linebacker in America and the No. 12 recruit in North Carolina. Last season, he tallied 92 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss.

“Thomas Davis Jr. is an instinctive, heady linebacker,” Rivals director of scouting and rankings Charles Power told Singer in November. “He plays on one of the top high school defenses in North Carolina at Weddington.

“I think he’s a guy who sees plays quickly, triggers downhill and has shown good physicality this year. He’s going to come into college with a level of understanding that will be advanced relative to his peers. One of the biggest things with Davis Jr. will be continuing to improve his athleticism. Working on his speed will certainly help him.”

Both Davis and O’Brien will lead high school teams expected to contend for state championships this season. Each enters the year ranked No. 2 in their state, according to the high school football composite rankings.