​Notre Dame signed arguably the top recruiting class in the nation for the 2026 cycle, and one of the crown jewels of that group is safety Joey O’Brien. It was a hard-fought battle to land the Pennsylvania standout, but O’Brien proved to be worth the effort, bringing Notre Dame a player with the talent to emerge as the next star at safety for the Irish. Here is our season preview and profile for O’Brien.
Class/Eligibility: Freshman / Freshman
Height/Weight: 6-5, 203
Hometown/High School: Roxborough, Mass./La Salle Prep
Irish Breakdown’s evaluation at the time of O’Brien’s Notre Dame commitment highlighted why he was such a coveted addition. “O’Brien is the latest elite secondary prospect to sign with Notre Dame since Mike Mickens and Marcus Freeman arrived in South Bend. The Pennsylvania native is an elite two-way player who could be an impact starter for the Irish on either side of the ball. Defensively, O’Brien spent much of his prep career at cornerback, and that’s where Notre Dame initially recruited him. He graded out as a Top 100 player as a cornerback, but when he moved to safety his game exploded. He is still on the skinny side, but he’s exceptionally long and possesses elite range on the back end of the defense.”
The analysis continued, noting O’Brien as an all-around athlete with the kind of short-area quickness and long speed that can translate to immediate impact. “He’s a smooth athlete who can change direction with ease, and he uses his length, range, and closing speed to cover a ton of ground in very few steps. O’Brien shows a great feel for the game, demonstrating the ability to read the quarterback and routes at an elite level. This, combined with his length and range, enables him to get his hands on a lot of footballs. His body control is special, he has elite hands, and he possesses all the traits necessary to be a highly productive turnover machine in college.”
One early hurdle for O’Brien is staying healthy. After a strong spring practice period, he injured his leg in the Blue-Gold Game, requiring surgery. The expectation is that O’Brien will return in the fall, whether that’s to start fall camp or to participate during camp. That makes it challenging to project precisely what camp will look like for him. If he returns for camp, O’Brien will need to regain rhythm after missing time with the injury. The good news is that the incident occurred at the end of spring, so he had ample opportunity to work with the defense beforehand.
Once back, O’Brien will need to continue improving his physicality against the run. He showed progress throughout the spring, overcoming initial uncertainty as a young defender learning what coaches are asking him to do. From a coverage standpoint, he was outstanding from the moment he arrived, so the key question for his rapid ascent up the depth chart this season will be his ability to defend the run consistently.
When a player possesses this level of talent, the expectation is that he earns playing time and contributes to the team’s success. O’Brien brings the potential to develop into a premier safety for Notre Dame, leveraging his elite length, range, and playmaking ability. If he returns to full form and continues to refine his run defense, he could quickly become a fixture in the Irish secondary and play a significant role as a freshman. His combination of size, speed, and instincts gives Notre Dame a versatile defender who can impact games from multiple alignments and in various packages, underscoring why he was viewed as one of the standout pieces of a class that headlined the 2026 cycle.