Notre Dame Targets One of the Biggest Names in the 2026 Cycle

Max Uretsky
May 26
5 min read

In The Film Room: We dive into the unprecedented talent and abilities of 2026 five-star safety Joey O'Brien, who Notre Dame is in a hot battle to land, competing against Penn State and others.

Photo by Joey O'Brien / Johnny DeMasi

Due to things like limited roster sizes or a coach recognizing when a certain player is head and shoulders above the competition, many high school football players end up taking snaps on both sides of the line of scrimmage. It is much rarer for a player to be able to carry over that balance to the college level. When Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in the 2024-25 season, he was the first two-way star to do so since Charles Woodson accomplished the feat in 1997. One of the highest-ranking recruits in the 2026 class hopes to join that elite company when he takes the field in the FBS next season. 5-star Joey O'Brien is the number one player in the state of Pennsylvania and epitomizes what it means to play both sides of the ball, as he racked up a school record 1,029 receiving yards to go along with 16 touchdowns, as well as 13 pass breakups during his Junior season.

As the recruitment for O'Brien's services heats up, Penn State appears to be the front runner at this point in time, but that doesn't mean Notre Dame will let up on their end. O'Brien is set to take an official visit to South Bend in June, and with the momentum Head Coach Marcus Freeman and his staff have recently built on the recruiting trail, don't count out the Fighting Irish. The game film is exactly what you would expect out of such a highly touted prospect, and this time around, my player evaluation will include both offensive and defensive breakdowns.

As a Wide Receiver

O'Brien possesses very good height for the WR position, pushing almost 6'4, but does have more of a slender frame. He plays with good acceleration, getting out of his release without any wasted movement, and has no issues getting through some hand fighting at the LOS to get to his spot. He has elite ball skills, with his natural catch ability separating him from other players in his class. Joey can track the ball on deep post patterns and vertical shots without breaking his stride, and his ability to adjust around his frame to inaccurate passes is one of one. He can do everything from snagging the ball with one hand to going up and high-pointing it over multiple defenders.

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Two specific areas that make him a threat are on back shoulder throws and in the red zone. O'Brien does an excellent job of selling the go route when he takes an outside release and shows the concentration and manual dexterity to turn around mid route and attack the pass on his back shoulder. In the red zone, his height and leaping ability make him the perfect target on fade routes. He also plays with the courage to go over the middle through traffic and absorb contact while still completing the catch.

O'Brien does not have a lot of suddenness in and out of his breaks, which leads to a lack of separation at the top of his routes. This is why his penchant for making contested catches is one of his most valuable traits. He also doesn't always stack the defensive back when he goes vertical, which has not been an issue at the high school level, as he seems to always win the 50-50 balls in the air, but when facing a cornerback with better ball skills, it will not be as easy.

I view O'Brien as a very good receiving prospect who has a lot of the physical attributes that could allow him to grow into a prototypical "X" WR role. He will thrive against one-on-one matchups, especially near the goal line, because of his length and ability to go over the top of defenders. He will have some of the best hands on the team from the minute he steps on a campus, and as his route running continues to improve, he will become even more of a threat at all levels of the field.

As a Defensive Back

There are not many 6'3 cornerbacks that have the type of long speed O'Brien possesses. His ball skills as a WR translate to this side of the ball as well, which is a huge plus. He shows very quick processing as a defender, getting in the backfield to break up screens and bubbles. O'Brien shows that he can be a very physical press corner, using good hand placement on his jam and disrupting the WR's ability to get into his route. He plays with elite awareness in zone coverage, following the eyes of the QB and jumping routes with good anticipation. Very good open field tackler who can differentiate between when to wrap up and when he can go for a big hit.

O'Brien may not have the short-area quickness to play man coverage full time on an island, but his awareness and ball skills scream elite cover 3 cornerback potential. The chance to play some off coverage and read the QB will only feed into his strengths, and although he is listed as a safety on most sites, I can definitely see him sticking on the perimeter like he has done plenty throughout high school and making a name for himself there.

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There is no telling which school, if any, plans to have O'Brien go full-time on both offense and defense, but there is no doubt that he hopes to remain a factor in multiple spots. Penn State, Notre Dame, and Oregon have all discussed special packages with O'Brien on how he can be used, and it seems like that will be one of the biggest selling points for any team hoping to land him going forward. O'Brien would be the second 5-star recruit for Notre Dame this cycle, the first being defensive end Rodney Dunham, but no player in the Irish's current class brings quite the level of versatility O'Brien does. Considering some of the recent misses with WR recruiting, O'Brien would be a crown jewel for wide receiver coach Mike Brown, all while helping fortify a secondary that is already a huge strength for the Irish. Players like Joey O'Brien do not come around very often, and it will be interesting to see where his recruitment stands after his June 20th visit.