Joey O'Brien Sets Commitment Date Ahead of Oregon Official Visit
2026 4-star Glenside (Penn.) La Salle College safety Joey O’Brien is quickly closing in on the finish line.
On Wednesday, On3’s No. 8 safety set a commitment date for June 20. He also narrowed his list of top schools to four, with Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame and Clemson all making the cut, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. This development comes as O’Brien heads to Eugene for his Oregon official visit this weekend.
Oregon offered the 6-foot-4, 180-pound defensive back in September, but the Ducks hadn’t been viewed as a top contender for much of O’Brien’s recruitment. In fact, the popular believe was that Notre Dame and Penn State have been the schools best positioned to land a verbal commitment from him. But following a pair of unofficial visits to Eugene this spring, Oregon has clearly made a move.
“It’s the best of the best that go there,” O’Brien told On3’s Steve Wiltfong after a trip last month. “They only recruit different types of kids, certain types of kids. It’s always the best players going. They get held to a standard by Coach Lanning and they perform to it.”
O’Brien is just one of multiple elite safeties secondary coach Chris Hampton is recruiting in the 2026 class. The Oregon coach even made the trip across the country to get some more face time with O’Brien during La Salle’s spring showcase last month.
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The No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania is as coveted an athlete as you’ll find, and he even said himself the Ducks led at one point in his recruitment.
“They’re all up for grabs but I feel Oregon has the lead right now, not going to lie,” O’Brien said in May.
One of Oregon’s top targets in the 2026 recruiting class has already taken a pair of official visits to Penn State and most recently Clemson. He’ll be in Eugene this weekend and also has an official visit to Notre Dame remaining.
Will Oregon be able to pull off a stunner in the 2026 class and land one of the most sought after talents on their big board? We’ll find out in just about two weeks.
