We now know when Penn State football’s top priority recruit of the 2026 cycle will commit.
Wednesday night, Joey O’Brien announced that he’ll be committing June 20.
This is a big deal.
It’s not that Penn State needs O’Brien to have a successful ‘26 class. Penn State’s Class ranks No. 4 in the country per 247Sports, and if that holds, it will be the highest-ranked class in school history. But boy, would O’Brien help. He’s the No. 1 player in the Pennsylvania for a reason.
The five-star is the No. 4 safety in the country per 247 and is also capable of playing receiver.
If he commits, Penn State just might let him play both.
THE COMPETITION
As one could imagine, Penn State has stiff competition for a player of O’Brien’s caliber.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Clemson, Oregon and Notre Dame are the other three finalists.
Clemson has won two national titles and played for two more in the past decade. Oregon won the Big Ten in its first try last season. Notre Dame made it to the national title game, beating Penn State on its way there.
But it’s long been thought that Penn State and Notre Dame are the too two for O’Brien. The La Salle College High School star comes from Philadelphia, which is a big Notre Dame and Penn State area.
THE SCOUTING REPORT
Here’s the scouting report on O’Brien, provided by Andrew Ivins of 247Sports.
“Lanky perimeter playmaker with the athleticism and ball skills to make an impact wherever he lines up at the next level. Viewed by some college coaches as a defensive back and others as a wide receiver, but ceiling appears to be highest as a coverage ace that can shade passing windows and create takeaways, which he has done time and time again at marquee 7-on-7 events. Mature field awareness and zone discipline constantly shows up on defense. Might lack the desired foot speed for an outside alignment on Saturdays, but can swallow up assignments with a frame that’s pushing 6-foot-4 and will fight with his hands positioning. Has also proven to be a willing participant in run support despite being a bit slender. As a pass catcher, can quickly flip the field for an offense as he gets vertical and makes acrobatic grabs over opponents. Needs some seasoning as a route runner, but is an overall smooth mover with easy acceleration that can go up and attack the football. Overall, should be viewed as one of the more unique prospects in the 2026 cycle given the fact that he could fit into a variety of different roles for a College Football Playoff contender. Lack of testing data yields an incomplete evaluation, but can rock the rim on the hardwood and has consistently turned heads in best-on-best settings.”
O’Brien has visited Clemson and Penn State officially. He has yet to visit Oregon (June 6-8) and Notre Dame (June 20-22).
