Despite falling short in its top goal of beating Ohio State, Penn State did pick up a win over the weekend.
PSU received a commitment from 2026 4-star safety Matt Sieg from Fort Cherry High School in Western Pennsylvania. Sieg is a national Top 200 recruit and one of the top in-state players for the Class of 2026.
This continues to a recent trend for Penn State. Over the last couple of years, James Franklin and his staff have secured commitments from a majority of the top recruits in Pennsylvania.
Class of 2023– 4-star OL Jven Williams (Wyomissing, PA), 4-star DE Jameial Lyons (Philadelphia, PA), 4-star LB Ta’Mere Robinson (Pittsburgh, PA).
Class of 2024– 4-star LB Anthony Speca (Pittsburgh, PA), 4-star CB Kenneth Woseley (Philadelphia, PA), 4-star RB Quinton Martin (Belle Vernon, PA), 4-star WR Tyseer Denmark (Philadelphia, PA) and 4-star DE Mylachi Williams (Philadelphia, PA).
Class of 2025– 4-star RB Tiqwai Hayes (Aliquippa, PA), 4-star LB Alex Tatsch (Latrobe, PA), 4-star LB Dayshaun Burnett (Pittsburgh, PA) and 4-star RB Jabree Coleman (Philadelphia, PA).
The in-state success is also carrying over so far in the Class of 2026 with the early additions of Sieg, 4-star OT Kevin Brown and 4-star RB Messiah Mickens, both from Harrisburg.
Another in-state blue-chip prospect that Penn State would much like to receive a commitment from was at Beaver Stadium Saturday along with hundreds of other recruits.
Joey O’Brien (6’3″, 180-pounds) is a 2026 4-star safety from LaSalle College High School in Philadelphia. Rivals.com currently ranks O’Brien as the No. 4 recruit in Pennsylvania and one of the Top 200 overall prospects in the Class of 2026. 247Sports has him as the top-ranked player in PA.
Currently, O’Brien’s list of offers includes Penn State, Alabama, Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oregon, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
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— Joey O’Brien (@Joey_obrien6) November 3, 2024
Monday morning, Nittany Sports Now caught up with O’Brien and talked to him about the weekend, what stood out to him, his interaction with the Penn State coaches and where Penn State currently sits with him.
“They always do a great job making me feel like a priority there,” O’Brien told NSN. “I have great connections with the people in that building. It’s easy to be around those guys. It’s not my first time there but they are consistent with their message about me being a priority.”
“I enjoyed the day, atmosphere, and the conversations. There is great energy in Happy Valley on game day. I don’t care about wins/losses. I’m paying attention to the position they are recruiting me to play and what they are asking of those guys.”
The matchup with Ohio State was obviously priority No.1 for the Nittany Lions staff but that doesn’t mean they weren’t able to spend some time with O’Brien and that includes head coach James Franklin.
“Coach DJ Bryant spends a lot of time with me and my family,” said O’Brien. “He played on the Ravens with my 7on7 coach at Level 82 Torrey Smith. That gives us a lot to talk about. I got time with Coach Smith and Coach Dex. They are great guys. I was able to meet with Coach Franklin before the game too. His message to me was “you’re coming here, you’re not leaving PA.” He is stressing I’m a priority and I appreciate it.”
That obviously is a very strong statement from Franklin. Where does that put Penn State on O’Brien’s list, with Notre Dame reportedly being pretty high as well.
“They are high on my list,” he said. “I’ll talk to my parents after my high school season ends and start discussing timelines. Right now, I’m focused on trying to make a state title run at LaSalle.”
